They Never Trained Me For This
by IronRaven
Summary: There are things you can train for. But some things you can't learn, only do- one of those is finding out who you are. Someone finds her way back to the Institute, and has to learn to be a person. A collection of shots of X-23 becoming Laura.
1. Chapter 1

**They Never Trained Me For This  
Chapter 1**

5/6/10, I'm reposting chapters to get the scene breaks back in them and take care of formatting consistency.

Institute timeline: Graduation - They Never Trained Me (1 - 7) - Home to Meet the Family - Staying Home This Holiday - New Years New Beginnings - Never Trained (8 - 16) - Spring Break - Never Trained (17- ) Institutional Fairytale (timing imprecise) - (a century and a half) - Long Have I Lived

_---nt_

As the cliche goes, it was quiet. Too quiet.

The young woman concealed in the tree had rarely experienced this feeling. She was inside their perimeter, and it was the middle of the day, the weather was good and it was a Saturday. She knew from having been here before that there should be a lot of activity right now. Training if nothing else. All the vehicles seemed to be here. So where were they? They couldn't all be inside, there were too many for to have seen no one. And someone should have seen her.

Should have seen her three days ago. Other than a few glances in her general direction, she'd been largely ignored. She was still trying to figure out if she had been seen, or if they had just had a hunch. After all, they were almost as good as she was. She'd watched them come and go, laughing, training, scowling- she'd never know what it was to be normal, but they seemed half way between her and whatever normal was. But other than a run for the mail and newspapers by one of the students, she'd seen no one all day.

She stiffened. At a slight noise. A footstep. Reflexively, she tightened on herself, tasting the air. She knew the scent, only a few people could get behind her like that. She'd fought this person before, and won.

"Hi there! Wanna come inside?" Kitty Pryde waved.

"Where is he?"

"Mr Logan? He's inside, we've been expecting you to come up for a couple days."

The younger woman leaped from the tree. "Why isn't HE here? Is he afraid of me?"

"No. But the last time you spoke, you told him to stay away, that he couldn't help you and it was better that way. So he's letting you decide. Just like I will." Shadowcat strolled past the lurker. She was doing her best to be nonchalant.

X-23 stared, her emotions a jumble of anger, embarrassment, curiosity and loneliness. _I will not run after her. I won't hurry. Wolverine will come to me. I swear it, I won't... I won't... I..._

She jogged after the older girl.

_---nt _

Wolverine's fingers tightened on the window trim, stopping just short of letting his claws unsheathe. She was out there, watching, just on the other side of the trees. He'd smelt her, but he could imagine her on a branch, only her nose and eyes moving as she allowed herself to melt into the tree. "I just wish I'd known earlier, to protect her. I don't even know how to be a father, what if I screw up?"

Xavier looked towards the trees as well. "Rogue and Kitty and the others, they trained you for this. You'll do fine."

_---nt_

X-23 froze on the steps, her nose twitching. She could smell them, the X-Men, the New Mutants. They were waiting, it was an ambush. Kitty opened the door, holding it. "You've come this far- we won't hurt you. But you can stop now."

"Why should I believe you?"

Shadowcat shrugged. "How did I know you weren't going to like, chop me up? I trusted you enough to not phase out- I'll even leave the door open if you want."

_You have my word of honor._ X-23 flinched at the touch of Professor Xavier's mind. She pushed back as best she could. His voice was soft, warm, like a sun beam through leaves as she sat on a tree branch. She shook her head, hard, trying to brush the sensation away. The ripple of bemusement made it feel like leaves were fluttering between her and the fullness of the sun. _And you've beaten us before. You are in no danger._

The parlor was as much entry way as it was living room, had been for years. So everyone looked relaxed as they sprawled on the furniture or leaned against the railing to the upstairs. The last time X-23 had seen them this close, she'd gone through them like a tornado through a wheat field. The looked, if anything, curious. Some were even smiling, not a predator's grin, but real smiles. She felt a flash of heat, of anger- how dare they smile and relax? Didn't they know what was out there? There were real monsters in the world, and they'd let one into their sanctuary. _Fools, I could-_

The thought stopped cold when she saw Him. She hadn't really noticed before just how short he was- many of the girls here were taller than him. But she was short, to. Her hands were shaking. She hadn't noticed, when did that start? Her heart was racing, her breath was getting short. He held a hand out to her, palm up, open. He wasn't wearing his gloves. And he was smiling, was he laughing at her? No- his nostrils were twitching quickly, as fast as her's. Her eyes flicked along his throat, she watched as he swallowed, his pulse showing in his muscular neck. _He can't be afraid? Of me?_

She made herself stand fast, she wouldn't back down. Fear kills, she couldn't be killed. She couldn't be afraid. "Logan, why didn't you come outside to talk to me?"

"You've run twice- I was worried you might make a habit of it." His voice was firm but soft. He took a half step forward. "But I hope you might stay."

"But the last time..."

"You were confused, lost." Professor Xavier's voice had the same warm, easy confidence when spoken aloud as it did in telepathy. "We want to help you."

"And what do I have to do? What do you want from me?" The questions came fast, her voice a sharp staccato.

Logan took the extra stepping, resting his hands on her shoulders. "To just be you, the real you, not something from a test tube fed on hate and lies. I want to get to know that real you. I know you are trying do that to; we can do it together, kid."

"I would rather you called me Laura. I... think I like it." Her smile was as much sheepish as anything else. She was still getting used to being able to like things.

Logan nodded. His voice wasn't much more than a whisper. "'Laura'. It sounds right." He pulled her closer, arms around her, resting his cheek on the top of her head. Only the best ears could of heard his voice. "So do you want to stay?"

_---_**Author's Notes:  
**Laura, from the laurel plant. In Roman tradition, a crown of laurel leaves was given to honor a person who had perform a great service or made a great accomplishment. The leaves are symbolic of victor and honor. (And most people know them better as bay leaves.)


	2. Chapter 2

**They Never Trained Me For This  
Chapter 2**

_---nt_

Laura didn't like to sleep. The dreams came in her sleep, the dreams of her old school, where she had lived. The lights had never been off; she could turn them off now. But they thought she wanted her own room. She couldn't ask for something. She had to be beyond needing things, she could never ask, she couldn't, that is what they said. She could be issued things, or take them if needed while on the mission, but this wasn't the mission, she wasn't X-23, she was Laura.

She lay awake staring up at the ceiling for the first three nights at the Institute. She didn't toss and turn, she just threw the pillow aside and put her hands behind her head, looking up. Sometimes she closed her eyes, but they would open when she started to nod off. She did math and tactical problems in her head, translated french into english into japanese. She'd grabbed a few naps, but she was conditioned to go without sleep for several days. The fourth night was her limit, as she slipped into dreams.

The dreams.

Memories.

Old missions.

The young girl, she'd been the first. Cheap knife, slashing the throat, left it there. First kill, no other reason, just picked at random.

The three gang bangers. Pistol, at least that first night. Three or four every night for two weeks, guns, knives, a carbomb, mutilating the corpses. She'd thrown someone's head in through a window, that had really gotten things going. The two gangs finished each other off in their little war.

The hacker who needed to go away. The first time with her claws. He'd opened up and spilled out before he could scream. They punished her for vomiting afterwards.

A senator who had a heart attack at such a young age. She'd helped it, something extra in his coffee maker while he slept, in and out around his security system and gaurds.

The old man, fat and sweaty and disgusting. She'd skinned him before his hands had touched more than her shoulders.

She could feel his fingers on her shoulder, his breath on her cheek.

_---nt_

Laura's lips were pulled back in a silent snarl, sitting up. Instinctively, she punched upward at the target, her claws emerging as her eyes open, scent and the sound of the heartbeat and the feeling of warmth on her skin driving the strike. It should have hit just to the target left of center just above the navel, her claws shredding the heart and lung through the diaphragm- fatal in seconds. The only noise of the attack was the mattress moving, not even her breathing changed.

Kitty squealed, jumping back. She and Rogue had heard their neighbor fighting something in her sleep, mumbling. Kitty had slipped in, frightened to find the young assassin crying in her sleep. The soft, whispered words were... haunting. The toughness was gone, the warrior removed, just a scared, panicked, young person. Kitty had stared for a moment before reaching out to touch the younger girl's shoulder, only realizing at the last minute what a bad move that was. She barely phased out of before being shredded. "Laura. Laura, it's me, Kitty. You're ok, you are safe. They can't hurt you."

Laura was still a minute or two, her hand wrist deep in Kitty's body before the older girl stepped back. Laura just stared at her hands, her claws, like they were someone else's, and at Kitty. At the slashed sheets. The analytical part of her mind knew how Kitty had survived. One one hand, she'd responded properly to a possible attacker according to her training. On the other, anyone else would be very, very dead. She wasn't that person any more. She'd never wanted to be that person. The claws shinked back along her arm bones as the tears started to well in her eyes. She knew she wouldn't be welcome here any more. "I'm.. I'm sorry."

"Sh..." Kitty came closer, not quite touching. "We all have bad dreams, and I'm ok. No chopped up Kitty, see?" _Close, but not quite._

Rogue opened the door slowly, sticking her head in. "Is it safe to enter?" She sat on the foot of the bed, careful not to box Laura in-she could still bail left, and have the width of the bed between her and the door if she bolted for the window. "It's going to be ok, trust me."

"But I could have killed Kitty!" That set off a fresh set of tears. They got stronger as she felt Kitty's hand squeeze her shoulder.

"Why do ya' think Ah sent her in first?" Rogue's tone was half serious, half playful. "Can't hit what ain't there."

X-23's eyes were wide and frightened and bewildered as she looked at Rogue. It made her look much younger, almost fragile. "But..." She looked like she wanted to look down, but was afraid to. "Why am I alone?"

"You aren't. Like, we're right here."

"But everyone else sleeps with someone else. I've always slept alone." Laura flinched away from Kitty's touch, retreating into a ball. "Everyone else gets to have friends."

The when the Institute had been rebuilt, they had made it larger, with more bedrooms. For a while, Kitty and Rogue had their own rooms after that first year of being roommates, but as the number of students increased, they'd shared a room again. Even now as faculty, they decided that it was better for everything if they didn't get their own rooms- that had made room for several new students. Most people complained about it at first, but there wasn't much space.

"Wolverine asked if we could find yah a single. He thought yah might want yer space." Even as Rogue spoke, she remembered the few images from the one time they'd touched. The younger girl had been taught to always be on guard, to be ready to defend herself. Had she ever slept well a night in her life? "Must get tiring watching yer back all the time."

Laura nodded silently, biting her lip. She looked scared and miserable. "I'm not allowed to relax. If I did, they'd hit me or shock me."

Kitty's eyebrow twitched angrily. No one should have had to grow up like this, what was HYDRA trying to do? Of course their living weapon would turn on them, people weren't supposed to be like this. She'd lived with Rogue long enough to know where her friend's mind was going. "Maybe you can crash with us tonight?"

"You'd let me do that?"

"Sure. Why not?" Kitty smiled, the one that made you feel warm and cozy and was a little big sisterly.

"You forgive me?" Laura flinched back, not believing it, expecting a trap. "Even after this?"

"Why wouldn't we?" Rogue shoved her hair back. "Ah didn't exactly make the best first impression- Ah zapped Kurt and Storm both. Almost fried 'em all." Blushing, she gave an odd half smile. She reached for Laura, holding her knee through the sheets, knowing that Kitty was ready to grab her if needed. But Rogue didn't think it was needed. "That was before they became mah friends. Mah family. Do yah trust us?"

_---nt_

In the hallway, Logan debated if he should go in. The past three nights, Laura had joined him on his 0300-ish patrol, coming out of her room as we walked past. He'd been barefoot, stalking through the halls and then out to the grounds for years. She'd even seen things he'd known about and forgotten, security issues that needed new eyes.

He'd seen Rogue slip into Laura's room as he came through the shadows. He could smell the tears. His ears heard

He had assumed she had been waking up. She hadn't said anything other than saying she recognized his smell.

She didn't sleep? She was afraid to sleep? A sick knot twisted in his guts at the thought. He knew most of HYRDA was dead- what Laura hadn't taken care of, he had, or Fury had. He felt his face twisting into a war mask. If he wasn't careful, the hate he was feeling would wake the Professor, and then there would be all kinds of questions he really didn't want to answer.

But he also wanted to talk to the Prof about this. Charles didn't have any more experience at being a father than he did, but he was the shrink. Logan tensed- should he go in and be comforting? He hadn't always been very good at that, but he's seen the normal ration of sprains and breaks and falls and bad dreams that you get with teenagers in a full contact lifestyle. He thought he could handle the idea of Laura crying, of her being scared. But he was scared he'd make a mistake, he wasn't ready for this, this was too much, too scary. And he didn't want Laura to see him angry, she would think he was mad at her for being afraid and scared. No, no, he couldn't let her think that.

Tears of fury ran down his cheeks.

_---nt_

"Hey, take my hand." Kitty reached out her hands, both to Rogue and to Laura. Rogue grinned at the much shorter girl. "This is so weird, but you'll get used to it."

Nervously, Laura did so, then reached out to the wall with her free hand. She knew the theory behind phasing, even ways to try to block it, but this...

This was kind of neat, watching, feeling her hand slip through the wall. Her lips quirked up a little, as she looked at the others. She yawned, deeply, her head tipping back. It almost felt like her head was splitting in two. When it passed, she shook her head, then stared at Kitty and Rogue yawning. Was it some oddity in her powers that she didn't know about? "I'm sorry, I didn't know I could do that."

Rogue laughed. "Don't worry about it, suga'. Its normal for yawns to be contagious. Now, let's get you tucked in before you fall over." _Before I fall over. _Rogue knew she was tired- she was focusing on her words as she spoke. She she tightened her grip on Kitty's hand, and stepped through. It would always be weird to her. She gave a tug, pulling Kitty and then Laura through. "All right, you. Your butt, my bed, and sleep."

"Rogue?" Laura was confused.

"Don't worry, Ah'll sleep in the big chair. Done it before." She jerked her chin towards the large, round Papa-san chair by the doors to the balcony. "You sleep in the bed, ok? Lay back, close your eyes."

"Promise me, promise me you won't tell anyone. Please." Laura's fists balled, her wrists bent so her claws couldn't slip out. "I don't want Logan to know, I don't want him to think I'm weak."

"Oh, trust me, he has nightmares to. Not very often, but everyone hears it." Rogue pulled the blankets over the newest member of the Xavier family. "The Professor helped him with them- you should talk with him, it's ok. We do it as a team here, if you can't walk, we carry you so you don't have to crawl. Now go to sleep."

Laura obeyed. She'd never been tucked in before. The chair that Rogue had pointed to meant anyone coming from outside had to trip over her, and Kitty's bed was closest to the door. Kitty even set her desk chair in front of the door. No one would get it without the three of them knowing about it. It wasn't optimal, but it was a good tactical situation. Laura closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then another. She was out before the third one.

Rogue looked at the door, raising her fist slightly, tightening it , tilting her head to one side in a question. Kitty nodded, and slipped through the door. They both had heard the soft sound. She looked around, seeing the turns in the shadows where there should have been straight lines. She crouched down. "Mr Logan? It's alright, she'll stay with us tonight."

He'd heard their conversation. He'd been run through enough times, he was an expert on how that felt. That Laura was afraid he'd think she was weak felt a lot like that. But this time, he was helpless. All he could do right now is act like he hadn't seen or heard anything. If he did anything, he'd make it worse. _They are still hurting her. Damn them!_

Kitty had been hugged liked this before. Kurt had cried on her shoulder, and Rogue. She'd even hugged Mr. Logan like this. But she never thought she'd be the one getting hugged by him. He didn't say anything, but he didn't need to.

The next morning, Rogue was awake early. She was standing in the hallway, waiting outside of Jean's door when the redhead finally opened it. "Jean, Ah got a favor to ask you, then maybe we can try an' sweet talk the Prof."

Jean's room was one of the largest, having been designed as an instructor's or guest room from the beginning. Same size as Scott's, not to mention Storm, Logan and Hank's. Jean and Scott had suggested once that they might move in together, but the Professor had been unhappy with that idea. He didn't think it would look appropriate- they had a hard enough time keeping the students from sneaking into each other's rooms at night, the instructors shouldn't co-habitate. But it wasn't like everyone didn't know what these two were doing.

There was more than enough room for her and Kitty in one of the larger rooms. The triples were the same size. It would help Laura get better, and Logan would be joining her and Kitty on the lovebird's request this time.

It would even free up space for at four more new students. With ten applications last week, it would be hard for him to say no.

**---Author's notes:  
**Young cubs and pups often need to hear another heartbeat or breathing so they can sleep, knowing that nothing will eat them.

The worst feeling in the world is not being able to make it all better for your kids. It keeps you awake at night, wondering what you did wrong, wishing you could take the pain for them. It really would be easier if the monsters could just be slain and left in a shallow, unmarked grave.


	3. Chapter 3

**They Never Trained Me For This  
Chapter 3  
**

_---nt_

"Well, if the whole world saving thing doesn't work out, vhe could set up a moving company." Kurt smirked as he placed his hands on the oak chest that Jean had brought from home with her. With the muffled bang-hiss that marked his departure, he and the chest ported to the other side of the Institute. He was extra careful- Jean had told him in no uncertain terms what would happen if he broke the china in her hope chest.

With that out of the way, Hank took one remaining of the boxes. "This brings back memories. When I was in high school, I spent summers working for my uncle's moving company. Good, clean, honest hard work is just the thing to relax the mind."

"If yah say so." Rogue hoisted another. "How can anyone collect this much... stuff? And have it in one room?" It boggled Rogue's mind. Even with Kitty, she didn't see how they'd fill this closet with clothes. She had a feeling that when Laura and Logan got back, it would prove what she suspected- that Wolverine's gene-daughter would be as minimal he was.

_---nt_

Most people find moving an act of discovery. Finding that lost piece of jewlery or uncovering a sandwich that had last been seen during the Nixon years. Sometimes it is more the realization that, no, you actually don't have a second small sauce pan and that you should get another one. There is always stuff you give or throw away, not having used it in years and no longer need or it no longer fits.

Sometimes you even discover you'd need more to have nothing at all.

Laura had cached a small pack with a change of clothes and most of a second just outside the fence of the Institute. She'd recovered it that first night. That and the leather's she'd been wearing had been the sum total of her worldly goods. She didn't say how she had acquired any of it; no one had asked. That first night, some of the shorter and slimmer girls had donated some of their spare clothing, but again, it wasn't much. Laura hadn't wanted to wear someone else's clothes- it took a lot of washing to completely remove someone's scent- but she'd do it.

She tried to not tell herself it was because she had a new mission and this was a requirement.

As the other's moved Jean's stuff into the room that the Professor Xavier reluctantly allowed her to share with Scott, Logan had decided that Laura needed to go clothes shopping. Ororo had offered to go with her, as had Rogue, both on the theory that he might not be comfortable. He'd thanked them, but no. "She's my daughter, I should do some fatherly things."

After breakfast, he'd shown he cared with his usual charm. "Laura, grab your ruck and jacket, and meet me in the garage in five." Ororo had rolled her eyes slightly, shaking her head, but said nothing. Laura knew only that something was happening- she'd been given her directions, a "op order".

She hadn't been thrilled he handed her a spare motorcycle helmet. "I don't need it, it will get in the way."

"No, you don't need it, but busting your skull hurts. And I'm not watching you bust yours if some fool in a minivan thinks we are a speed bump." That had been the total of that argument. Laura scowled, and slapped the visor down.

Scowling back, Logan pulled his own helmet on. It muffled his voice. "Is it too tight?" A rebel part of his mind chortled with shock and glee. _Is the Wolverine getting soft, turning into a protective father? _Years of trying to set a good example prevented Logan from saying what he really wanted to say to himself.

_---nt_

Sabertooth inhaled deeply, and frowned. It had been a week since he'd traced Logan's scent back to this "Bayville" of his. The runt had been hiding behind the walls of his Institute- the odds weren't good, and besides, Sabertooth wanted to savor this kill. Years of humiliation called for hours of suffering.

Maybe even days.

_There we go_. From his hiding place, Sabertooth smiled, licking his lips. Logan was leaving, along with one of the kiddies. He'd never taken one of them on a motorcycle like that before to Creed's knowledge. The long hair- a girl? Alone? On his bike? She wasn't just hanging on , she was embracing him. _Oh, please Logan, even I think that's wrong._ Sabertooth shrugged. If the noble and heroic Wolverine was playing house with one of the brats, it wasn't his issue. Just another way to hurt him.

He shoved the last of the pie into his mouth. This year he'd gone with strawberry rubarb- his favorite.

At least the local authorities had finally stopped fixing the fence around the water tower. Their persistence had started to annoy the blond killer. Logan didn't know or didn't care about this watching place. Creed hoped down to the concrete pad, rolling when he landed next to the motorcycle he'd stolen last night.

It was going to be a good start for another year of Victor Creed.

_---nt_

If one spends as much time at the Xavier Institute as Logan had, you really had no choice. You knew the bands, the sports, the movie star gossip- you existed in a sea of teenagers. You would to know which stores in the mall sold what- the girls made sure he'd known which had the best clothing. He had never gotten the subtle tones of what women wore. Most ladies look good, some better than others, but the big deal about clothes was over his head.

But, he had shown them all to Laura. She sniffed, scoffed and snorted at all but the most basic. What she had had accepted was mostly from a store that Rogue had mentioned. It catered to the "urban" crowd, and even then, Laura had condemned most of it. The chains and spikes, pointless; most of the leather was too thin. She'd let herself smile when she was looking at the camoflauge utility pants, leaving the urban patterns with red or white or blue, instead taking basic dark grey.

"You know, you should try those on."

Laura shrugged. "They aren't too small, and I wear a belt- if they are too long, I'll cut them down."

Logan's eyes rolled ceilingward. He'd said the same things a few times before, when he'd been a wanderer. Before he met Xavier. "Humor me, will ya?"

"Oh, very well." Laura sighed, reaching for her belt buckle. She sighed and scowled when he grabbed her shoulders, a slightly horrified look on his face. "What now?"

He pointed to the archway in the corner. "Changing rooms- I'll hold your pack."

They fit well, she'd taken several pairs. Black tshirts and sweats from the discount store. Good socks from the outdoors place- she'd taken the most time with those. She'd tried on a lot of boots, but none of them were quite right. They'd headed back to where they'd left the motorcycle, on the top deck of the parking garage. Most people didn't want to be that far away from the mall if they could help it, so it was less likely to get the paint scratched.

Without thinking about it, they both faced the door of the elevator as they went up, watching it. Logan had his helmet in his left hand, while Laura moved the bag from the outdoors store to hers. Just a few fractions of an inch from either of them, and their claws would be out. Logan glanced down at her hand, as she looked up at him. There was nothing to say, but he gave a slight wink.

The door slid open, and the both waited a heartbeat before they stepped out.

"We're being watched." Wolverine held her backpack as she stuffed in the last of her planned purchases after pulling her helmet out again.

"I know."

_---nt_

Sabertooth glared over the vehicles. These stupid humans stank, it would have taken too long to find them here in this mall. But he had found Logan's ride- he'd be back before too long. He'd smelled his prey as it left the elevator to this level of the garage. Creed smirked when saw the two of them standing there, talking, close.

Wolverine not watching his back and with his hands full, that was too good to be true, but the girl with him, she was tiny. She was nothing- but he'd be busy protecting the brat.

Powerful hands closed on the cargo rail that ran on the top of the SUV he'd hidden behind, pulling as he jumped to the top of the vehicle, then jumping again. He knew that they'd hear it, that she'd see it. She'd gasp, Logan would try to push her away, giving Creed two or three, maybe even four seconds to disable his rival. At least that is what he'd expected when he started his pounce.

Logan ducked and turned, side stepping while crouched, as soon as the springs of the SUV rocked. Laura flung the backpack underhanded. Instinctively, Sabertooth backhanded it away, swatting it down. That put his arm out of position to block or attack, which Logan took advantage. A hammer fist drove down on the top of Creed's hip bone, while the girl twisted on one leg, the other cock back and coming up. Creed's head snapped back from the spinning kick that had been aimed at his jaw. The runt's girl was good, fast to, and she had-

_SHE HAS CLAWS! _Stumbling over his feet, he landed flat on his back. Sabertooth recovered from the shock quickly. "What!? You've got a kid now?"

"Yeah." Without bothering to discuss their tactics, Logan and Laura spread apart, all claws out. Creed knew he couldn't attack them both, but they could both get him as soon as he was on his feet. Between bar room floors and Logan, Sabertooth had learned a lot of ground techniques- using any of them would leave him wide open to the other. Logan's teeth were bare, but with the anger there was something else in his eyes that Creed didn't recognize. "And I'm trying to protect her from perverts, profanity and senseless violence. Got a problem with that, bub?"

Laura growled, a smaller, higher pitched version of Logan's own snarl, feral. She could smell this one's blood, part of her wanted it. He'd attacked her, but more importantly he'd attacked Logan. She new Sabertooth's history, she'd read the dossier that was at the Institute along with the one Hydra had kept- she knew he'd attacked the Institute, he'd endangered the others. He was a threat. She watched his movements, he was looking at her, teeth bared. Her lips pulled back further, her face twisting in a visage suitable for a samurai's war mask. It was going to be one of those fights were you wait for someone to make the first move.

Creed's feet and knees lifted up, either to kip up to his feet or roll back. Laura was going to let him get a little further into it so she could kick him back down, when Logan shot forward, his boot heel driving down painfully into a sensitive location, bending and cracking the stainless steel cup Sabertooth wore. There was a squeal like a kitten licking a power outlet, and Creed passed out, his nervous system overloaded from the pain.

Laura's nose flared. Now to end this. Her claw through Sabertooth's brain would either kill him or leave him a vegetable. Either way, no more threat.

"No, hold it!" Working with smooth speed, Logan removed the blond man's belt before flipping him over and grabbing his wrists. The wide leather wrapped around the thick wrist, holding the hands back-to-back near Creed's tailbone. "We aren't going to kill him." Logan pulled the phone from his belt, pressing one of the few numbers on speed dial. "Hank? It's Logan- I need you and the Professor to come to the mall with some restraints for Sabertooth and the van.... No, no bystanders. Roof of the west side parking garage. Have Scott warm up the Blackbird, we need to dump this furball someplace... Oh, and Hank? Bring some ice." Closing his phone, he tore the laces from Sabertooth's boots, using them to pull the feral mutant into a hog tie. "We're just going to dump him some place remote, where he'll be out of everyone's way for a while."

"But why? He attacked us, and you're just going to let him go? He'll be back."

"No, I'm not just going to let him go- I'm getting him out of the way. He's been useful a few times, I owe him that much." He studied his handiwork for a minute- they'd work long enough. When he spoke again, his tone was almost regretful. "He was part of the Weapon X program. He remembers things about me that I don't."

Sabertooth groaned, starting to lift his head, when a boot heel dropped on the back of skull. His jaw hit the pavement, teeth clacking together loudly as he passed out again. The second kick was just for spite. "Fine. So he's part of my family or something?" Laura snorted.

"Distant relative at best. Just part of our puzzle, kiddo- 'sides, no killing unless we can't avoid it. You're one of the X-men now, minimal force needed, no more." His lips pulled up in a sardonic half smile. "And I have to remind myself about that all the time." He stroked his fingers through Laura's hair, slowly, lightly, feeling her tremble with adrenaline and tension. "Now we just wait for his transport."

Laura crossed her arms, her lips tight. She tried to stay rigid, refusing to push her head back against Logan's hand. She wasn't used to being praise, or rewarded, for killing, much less not killing. Before, she'd just been a tool they took out of the drawer when needed- they'd reward her with no discipline for an accomplished mission. She had to think about this. She was silent for several minutes. "Logan?"

"Yeah?"

"His healing powers are like ours." Not a question, just a fact, as was her habit.

"Yep."

"We'll have to knock him out every few minutes until the others get here, right?"

"Probably."

"Good" Thock-clack! "His fingers twitched."

_---nt_

The Blackbird flared, going into VTOL mode over a remote island just above the arctic circle. It was two hundred watery miles from anywhere this time of year, and it would be months before the pack ice returned. Of course, knowing Sabertooth he'd just swim south once he woke up and realized he wasn't going anywhere for a while if he didn't. And hating every second of it.

In the cockpit, Scott muttered. "Logan, are you sure this is low enough?"

"Don't worry, he'll bounce."

"Laura's right, Slim, just hold it steady."

Removing the vibranium cuffs from the feral's arms and legs, Logan set them aside and opened the hatch. He grabbed Creed's wrists, while Laura took the ankles. When she nodded, they both lifted, and on the third swing, tossed their opponent out the door, to land on the fine stone beach below, the waves lapping just below his feet.

The tide was coming in.


	4. Chapter 4

**They Never Trained Me For This  
Chapter 4  
**

The smallest of anchors can hold you in the darkest night.

_---nt_

"Hello, Ms Monroe."

"Hello Laura." With a twitch of her fingers, Storm scattered the palm-sized rain clouds watering. "I was wondering when you'd explore up here."

The young woman looked around, curiously. She knew about plants, sort of. She breathed in, the mix of scents almost heady. She knew they needed sun and soil and water to grow, and converted carbon dioxide to oxygen. "Is it ok if I watch for a while?"

"Always- there is a stool under than counter, if you'd like to sit." Storm's fingers circled the next of the lilies, creating a plump little cloud that was more grey than black, holding a slow drizzle.

"Ms Monroe? Why do you take care of the plants? They do ok on their own, don't they?" Laura hadn't taken the stool, but was leaning forward, bending over the edge of the work table to study the tiny rain cloud. She' been rained on, many times, the rain was an operative's friend, but this was different. She felt like she could grab this cloud and put it in a jar. Or her pocket- she didn't mind being wet.

"Some aren't as strong as others. This little lily comes from a tropical climate, and only blooms after the rainy season. It needs some rains, but a monsoon would drown what the winds didn't shred." She ran a nail delicately over the stem. "Too little water and it would die; too cold or too much sun would do the same thing. Or one careless foot."

Laura studied the fragile blossom. She inhaled, it's scent strong, mixing with the soil it was growing in and the damp smell of rain. A part of her wanted to be that careless foot, accidentally squashing it for being weak. But she knew she shouldn't. And most of her didn't want to. It liked the sun and shade and rain, to. "Will it get bigger?"

"No, my dear, this is just a little one. It only flowers for a few days, then it it gone for another year." With a flick of her wrist, Ororo caught the little cloud and sent it sliding towards the next plant. A hybrid rose with dark purple, almost black outer petals with a secondary bloom of sun yellow at the center.

_---nt_

A green house. Long, low benches with racks of roses in a riot of colors. An old woman, long retired, but with a mind still full of secrets.

X-23 didn't know the woman's name. X-23 didn't know the secrets, who might hear them. X-23 had her orders. She left her hiding place at a sprint. The light wood and glass of the door shattered as her shoulder hit it. She tucked in mid air, rolling to her feet when she found the floor. A fast sweep of an arm, and the woman's head lay next to her wheelchair.

The woman's arm fell from the flower she'd been tending, the watering can landing with a clatter and splash. The rose bobbled for a moment, it's yellow core blazing like young star in the blackness of space.

X-23 pulled the highway flare from her belt, striking it into life. She tossed it over her shoulder, to land among the flowers. Her foot lashed out, cutting the gas line that fed the heater to protect the roses in winter. X-23 walked out of the greenhouse, barely stumbling when the gas met the flames, exploding into a blossom of destruction.

X-23 calmly plucked a shard of glass from her shoulder, tossing it to the ground, as she walked to where her handlers were waiting.

They had told her she was ten years old today.

X-23 had killed well, she wouldn't be punished.

_---nt_

Laura's eyes were twisted shut tightly, her breathing ragged.

Ororo watched her carefully. She knew that look. She'd seen it on Logan's face often enough, flashbacks, bad ones.

Slowly, Laura's eyes opened. She slowly drew in a breath, blowing it out. She looked down- her claws were crossed, adamantium on all four sides of the untouched flower. She moved her arms, the claws pulling back, the wounds they left healing before they could bleed. "I'm sorry Ms Monroe."

"It's ok, Laura. Many of us have ghosts in our past."

Laura was silent, watching the flowers. She could smell every single one of them. "Can you tell me about roses? Are they strong?"

"Some are. Some are as delicate as spun glass."

_---nt_

The next day, Laura started helping Storm with the grounds. There was a place where it was planned to plant some hardy bush roses. The would bloom ivory-white, and leave large, glossy red rose hips for the birds and for tea. The plants had already been started in pots, needing only to transplanted.

Laura listened, rarely needing to ask questions, attention rapt. She decided against the trowel, using her claws to loosen the soil, her fingers to peel back the sod and lift out the soil in cupped palms. She lay the earthworm under the small cloth she was putting the dirt on, nudging them until they disappeared into the grass.

With the 20 bushes planted, and the motion sensor they would conceal placed, Laura still watched them. She checked them daily, usually more than that.

On the tenth day, little black spots started to appear, with yellow rings around them the next. Laura fed them, fertilized them. She talked to them. A fews later, the first leaf fell.

She brought it to Ororo at breakfast, holding it in both hands like a soap bubble. Storm looked at it for a moment, and asked one question before taking the visibly shaken Laura into the garden. Logan had started to join them, but the black woman shook her head as his chair started to scrape.

Storm knelt down by the roses, studying them. "There is still hope." She reached out, plucking one leaf, then another.

"NO!" Laura pushed the older woman back, fists balled but claws sheathed. "You can't kill them, it isn't their fault, they aren't broken. They don't deserve to die."

Storm was shocked that Laura had pushed her like that. The anger seething in the small frame was potentially titanic, but it wasn't a sword to be swung. She was lifting it as a shield, to protect others. The plants. Ororo bit back on the indignation. "Laura, the plants are sick. I'm not going to kill them, I need to prune off the infected leaves. Then just sulfer and vinegar water to keep the fungus at bay."

"You won't kill them? You won't punish them?"

"I'm not going to punish them." Storm rose to her knees. "I promise, I can make them well again, but you have to let me help them." _Gods, what kinds of monsters could do this to a child._ For the first time, Storm could understand the kind of anger she'd seen in Logan for so many years.

"Please Ororo, don't help them." Laura looked up with eyes trying to plead for another, eyes that had rarely done so. "If they die, it will be because I failed. I can't fail."

"But-"

"Please." Laura fought the tears. "All I've ever done is kill things. Tell me how to keep them alive, but I need to do it. I have to heal them. I need to not kill something." She was losing this battle. "I'm more than a killer. I am. I have to be." The tears ran from her chin like one of Storm's thimble-sized cloud bursts. "I'm the only one who can do it."

**---Author's notes:**  
Yeah, Laura's a little messed up in case you haven't been able to tell. But like Rogue told her, she's part of a team. When you can't walk, they'll carry you so you don't have to crawl.

With PTSD cases, some at least, they can be fine for months, and then, pop, something lets out the nightmares.

Oh, and for people who don't garden, black spot is a common fungal infection of roses. Prune and burn the infected leaves, change the watering pattern, and lightly spray with a fungicide or a sulfur and/or cider vinegar solution. They should be better in a few days.


	5. Chapter 5

**They Never Trained Me For This  
Chapter 5**

As with my Evo holiday trilogy, I've placed this in 2005.

_---nt_

There had been the slightest click as the window was jimmied. Laura had heard whoever it was as he scaled the walls outside, it had been enough to wake her. The silhouette was certainly that of a slim man, but not one she could recognize.

He silently slipped over the window sill. She waited until he was most of the way through, one leg half in, the other still outside the window, then she moved. She twisted in bed, legs scissoring around him, her high pitched snarl loud in the room and waking everyone in hearing distance. She tossed him forward, letting him tumble towards Kitty's bed- it was calculated risk, but if you poked Kitty in her sleep she was as likely to just sink through the bed and wind up downstairs as to wake up these days.

He was good, she'd say that. He rolled over by the time she was on top of him. She batted the metal rod from his hand, her foot claws digging into the wood as she knelt on his thighs, pinning him down and threatening him in a way that was highly effective on men. She drew her fist back, claws out. "Who are you!"

"Heh! Whoah mi petite, careful. Remy mean ya no harm, Remy just want to say 'ello to his Queen." Red iris shown in blackened eyes, while he tried his best to smile like it was all a joke. "Remy should have knocked, no?"

"Laura! Remy Lebue, what are you doing here?" Rogue didn't even pause for her gloves. Maybe that was a tactical decision; maybe it was just waking up in a hurry. Laura didn't move, she didn't even seem to be breathing hard. Rogue processed what he'd said. "Yeah, maybe you should have knocked, and maybe waited until morning, you stupid Swamp Rat."

"Gambit, you idiot!" Kitty fumbled on her lamp, squinting without either her contacts or her glasses. "Are you trying to get killed?"

"It wasn' dah plan, no."

_---nt_

Others were reacting, starting to head towards the room the three shared. There had been joking whispers that if anything every went wrong in there, Logan would spontaneously discover latent teleportation ability to get there, given how he felt about the three young ladies who shared it. That was almost the case, as Kurt bamfed into the hallway, his hand on Logan's shoulder. The Wolverine wasn't much of a morning person. He really wasn't a 2am-wake-up-to-screaming person.

The other girls who lived in the wing were pouring out, in states of mind ranging from sleepily curious to ready to toss in a handful of flashbang-like orbs under the door and kicking someone's ass for waking them up. It wasn't much longer before the guys were breaking one of the first rules, barging into the girls' wing after 10pm. The air almost rippled with elemental and psychic energies.

Breaking into this home in the middle of the night had been done. But it wasn't covered by most medical plans- that kind of stupid was a preexisting condition.

_Everyone, go to bed._ Charles Xavier's voice was firm. _It is under control. I'll be there in a moment._

_---nt_

"Laura, let him up. It's ok." With her gloves on, Rogue rested her fingertips on the younger girl's shoulders. "He's a friend. An idiot, but a friend."

"You sure? He smells like-"

"Hey! Ah do not smell, petite!"

Kitty winced. Laura hated nicknames, she wouldn't even take one from Logan. OK, so maybe "Mini-me" wasn't the best one he'd ever come up with for someone, and "Munchkin" wasn't any better. Even Boom-boom called her Laura after a plasma ball had been thrown back. There was a sharp metal-on-metal sliding noise as she retracted her claws and jumped off the theif. "Merci."

The door banged open, throwing a shadow down on the young man. Wolverine's claws were back as well, but his mood was still lethal. "Gambit." The way he said it made it sound like a plague.

"It's ok, Logan. I sense no signs of malice from him." Xavier rolled down the hall. "Mr. Lebue, guests need to be prearranged for obvious reasons, even if they are well known to us, and rarely stay over night. And only faculty and students are allowed in the dormitory wings at this time of night."

Remy dusted himself off, standing. "I'm sorry, Sir." Logan and Charles both reacted to that. It was doubtful that this young man had ever called someone 'sir'. "Ah couldn' help mah self, I had to see cheri. An' you, Professor."

"Really?" Charles studied the tall, lithe man. It might have been better if he'd been able to approach this one years ago, but he'd never be able to forget what he'd seen in the mind of Apocolypse. "Very well. Logan, would you escort our guest to my study? I'll join you in a few moments."

"Cheri, go back to bed. Remy _wants_ to talk to you with all his heart, but Ah _must_ talk to da Professor. Ah fear a soul 's at stake."

Rogue glowered as he blew her a kiss, then she slammed the door muttering.

About an hour later, Laura rose from her bed. Kitty had gone back to sleep almost immediately. Rogue had taken longer, but her tossing and turning had slowed, as had her breathing. She silently moved past Ms Monroe's room. Laura leaned on the crashbar slowly, opening the door into the girl's wing, then eased it shut before slipping off towards the only room with lights still on..

Logan lounged in a chair he'd moved it so that there was nothing between him and the door to the Professor's study. "Hey, you should be in bed."

"I was, no one said I had to stay in bed."

Logan scowled. "It was implied. This isn't something you need to worry about."

She sat next to him, leaning her back against his chair. "This is the Remy Rogue talks to in her sleep, I'm already worried about him." She was using her 'don't try to talk me out of this, you can't change my mind' voice. Logan knew that tone, he had it himself. "If he tries to kidnap her again, it will be my business."

"Fine." He crossed his arms, looking down at the top of her head. "I don't think he's going to try that, though. This is bigger than Rogue. You can't tell her anything you might hear or see without asking the Professor first."

"Sensitive activities, with code word access. I know how that works."

Logan felt that familiar sinking feeling. He wished Laura didn't speak like that, didn't think like that. Bad enough some of the others did. There were times where he wasn't sure if they were doing the right thing for the kids. But the kids were doing the right thing, so maybe it wasn't such a bad thing. He glanced down again, noticing that his fingers were stroking her hair gently. "I know you do. I'm sorry I forgot who I'm talking to."

"It's ok, you get forgetful when you are old." She smiled up at him teasingly.

They sat like that for a while, waiting, not listening. As it came closer to dawn, Logan stiffned, then Laura felt the push on her mind, the warmth of Professor Xavier's mind on hers. _Young lady, since you aren't asleep, could you go wake up Rogue. Mr Lebue will be leaving shortly, she will want to see him off I think. _

Laura bounced to her feet to carry out the errand. About half way to her room, she froze. 'Mr Lebue', not 'our guest', not 'Remy'. That meant that the Professor already considered Remy to be a member of the faculty. She blinked.

_---nt_

"Rogue, Ah'll be back. By the New Year, Ah promise."

"Where are you going?"

"Ah told the Professor Ah'd find something for him. Ah can do it, not many can."

"Is he asking you to steal something?" Rogue felt scandalized.

"Non, cheri. I need to give someone something back to someone. Someone who needs to find his way again. Ah told ya' true, Ah'm going to save a good man from hisself."

"Who? Why you?"

"Ah can' tell ya. An' don't go hating the Professor- he isn't making me do t'is. He's already said Ah'm welcome to come to da Institute. But Remy has to prove to Remy that Remy is ready to be one of ya'll."

"Ah'll go with you."

"No, cheri. You showed me this path. Now I must show someone." He hugged her, his chin stroking her cheek through the collar of his long coat. "Have faith in Remy."

"The New Year?"

"Oui."

"Ah'll hold ya to that, Cajun. January second, Ah'm coming for yah if you aren't here."

"I 'spect you might, even if you have to march on the gate of hell themselves. Until then, promise me somethin'. No tears. I'm just a thief, Rogue, and a liar. I'm not worth the tears. When I'm back, Ah'll be worth your tears"

"Ah'll try." She burried his face against his chest, while his fingers stroked her spine, his chin on the top of her head, protected by that foolish looking partial mask he wore.

Rogue could feel them watching. All of them. No one knew why he was leaving, other than The Professor. She let him lift her chin. "Remy..."

"No tears, mon cheri. I want to remember the Rogue who wanted throw me off the train." She laughed. "I must go." He caught her hand in both of his. Bowing his head to kiss the back of her knuckles, he then turned and sprinted for the gate. He jumped, taking the top rail in his hands and flipping over it, before waving good bye.

She felt the pressure in her mind. _Rogue, it was his idea._

_Ah don't want to hear it, Professor. Ah really don't want to talk to you right now!_

Silently, she stalked back inside. Logan was leaning against the door, blocking her. "He thinks he has to do this. I had to prove it to myself that I should be here. He feels the same way. He isn't going to die- he's going to prove he's one of us." He opened the door, stepping aside for her.

Rogue retreated to a quiet place in the under levels. Dark and alone and unseen by all. She wasn't going to cry. She was Rogue, she was an X-man. She couldn't cry.

_---nt_

Storm stepped back in from the balcony she'd been on. She looked at The Professor, seated at his desk. He'd taken down an old photo album, and was looking at one picture in particular.

"Do you think he can do it?"

"If anyone can find our prodigal, Gambit is the probably the best for the job." Long, strong fingers stroked the photo through the protective plastic. It had faded and yellowed with time. "I've failed."

"It was what he wanted."

"Was it?" Xavier closed the album. "You, Hank and Logan know, and I will tell Jean and Scott. But unless Rogue threatens to leave, I don't want her to know. She won't be happy with this, no matter what."

**---Author's notes:  
**What was Remy looking for? Hmm... What, or whom?


	6. Chapter 6

**They Never Trained Me For This  
Chapter 6**

_---nt_**  
**

"Kitty, why do you do that?" The brunette's nose wrinkled at the smell. "I don't see the value."

If Katherine Pryde's ears could actually perk up, they would have to that question. Laura, combat utilities and a tshirt and no makeup, kick ass and skip names Laura, had just asked about nail polish. She looked up eagerly from the toes she was painting a dark blue. "Well, because it makes the nails pretty and it protects them a little."

Laura stretched out her arm as she'd seen her friends do, fingers spread, examining her nails. They were clean and short, neatly trimmed. The fingers were strong, thick for a girl, almost the hands of a boy, and there were callouses from her workouts. "What is wrong with my nails?"

"Nothing, but they could be better." The grin spreading on Shadowcat's face was approaching Cheshire proportions. "They are tomboy hands, but that doesn't mean they can't be pretty does it? Even Rogue does her nails- it is a girly thing."

Laura thought about it. Most girls talked about trying to be pretty; she was the rare one who didn't care either way. She kept her hair and skin clean, but there wasn't a need for more, was there? But she had noticed that to some degree, the pretty girls were better received unless they reached some nebulous point of being too pretty. She also knew she was considered pretty by many of the young males of the Institute's population, but she'd observed that baseline definitions of attractiveness had a lot to do with athleticism, intelligence and other traits adapted to survive. That itself was logical- she was was _supposed_ to be an Olympic-class athlete and a genius, two traits common among the students. She knew that she was considered dangerous, both by her self and by Logan's protectiveness, which would appeal to many. But there were the girls that the boys described as 'hot', which seemed to be a positive thing;they wore makeup and impractical clothing. She shrugged. "It can't hurt to try."

"That's the spirit!" Kitty reached under her bed, pulling out a small plastic container full of small bottles, a jumble of colors. "Hmm... probably a darker color for you? Or do you want them to jump out?"

"Whatever you think is best?"

"I've got just the color- it is too dark for me, I think I got it for Rogue but she didn't like it." She held the bottle against her friend's hand. "What do you think."

Laura looked at it. It did look good. She nodded.

_---nt_

"Laura, are you well?" Storm was studying the young woman. "Did you hurt your hands?"

"No, Ms Monroe." She looked down at her own hands. Contrary to what she'd expected, the dark green enamel hadn't chipped off during the training exercise. Kitty was right, the clear coat would protect it. "Why?"

"It's nothing. Must just have been the light- something looked odd."

"I would have felt an injury." Her claws shnicked out, her healing factor closing the wounds and sealing the cut capillaries almost before it happened. They were also coated in the glossy finish- she'd finished the bottle doing all her nails. She looked them over carefully. "No functional damage. I did chip the polish on this one, though."

"You polished your nails? Including your claws?" Storm wasn't quite sure how, but she knew that to some degree, Kitty was responsible for this.

"And my toenails. I'm not sure I see where the aesthetic value comes into play socially, but it is pretty."

A white eyebrow twitched up, just a little. "So I see."

"Hey Laura, thanks for the save out there." Alex Summers, Havok, waved appreciatively as he walked past.

Laura smiled back- he was a good warrior, possibly even as good as his older brother. He'd been taking out two simulators simultaneously when she spotted a third trying to get into hand to hand range from behind. Interception had only taken two seconds from where she was. But he was too careful with his own fire- he passed up targets if his shots would go within two meters of her. "Your covering fire was welcome as well. Don't worry about hitting me so much- I'm not as worried about close misses as some people are. One meter is safe enough- later we can tighten that up if we have comms so you can warn me. With practice, a quarter meter may be safe."

Storm smiled. She wasn't going to tell Logan about this yet. The nail polish would blow his mind enough.

**---Author's Notes:**

It wasn't in HYDRA's interests to introduce a weapon to this kind of thing, at least not yet. After more experience, she'd need to learn things like make up for long term operations, just to blend in, but not yet. So being "girly" is going to be alien to her. Weapons don't have to think in "cute".

And I think she and Havok would make an highly capable operational element. And he'll help her mellow out and relax- for the batch of students after the X-Men and the New Mutants, I see this version of Alex (unlike the comic one) being the good cheer guy, kind of like Kurt is with the X-Men. Every good team has one. But I don't see Laura ever being able to completely turn off the tactical component of her brain, particularly in a training session.


	7. Chapter 7

**They Never Trained Me For This  
Chapter 7  
**

Raised as she was, there will be a lot of cultural things that Laura might catch....

_---nt_

Since meals had mostly moved to the big dining room, and the kitchen had become just a kitchen, they had gotten a little less crowded at the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters. So you were less likely to find someone's elbow in you cereal. Didn't make it any less rambunctious, and if possible, even a little more informal than in the "old days" of only a few years ago.

"Kitty, I found this in the hall, I think it's yours." Amara draped a solitary, light blue ankle sock over her instructor's shoulder. "I can't see Rogue or Laura wearing it."

Rogue saw it first, her eyes wide. "Oh mah god..."

Once Katherine recognized it she choked, trying to shoot a mouthful of oatmeal through her nose.

_---nt_

"Laura, there is something I've got to tell you about since you'll be living with me and Rogue for the foreseeable future."

"You both snore."

"What? I do not! Rogue is snoring. We've got a signal." Kitty held up a sock. "I keep this in the bottom drawer of my dresser, in the corner. If you need to use it, drop it on the floor between the door and the jam, like it fell there accidentally. We'll see it, and come back in an hour."

"Alright." Laura studied the sock. It was just nylon-cotton blend sock. "Why would I have to use it?"

"Well, like, you know." Kitty dropped her voice a little. "If you've got a boy in here with you."

"OK. And if I see it, it means you've got a boy in here, and I should stay away for an hour?"

"Yep. Thanks."

_---nt_

Rogue was on her feet as soon as her jaw was off the table. "Oh mah god, who's missin'?" Laura still overreacted some times. For a naive, teenage weapon, the kinds of things that boys thought of might not be taken the right way, particularly after some of the things she experienced while under HYDRA's control.

Kitty was busy trying to swallow the oatmeal and neither inhale it nor have it go into her sinuses. Logan's daughter was only slightly less likely to have a boy with her in the room than Rogue was. And first thing in the morning to, while the others were eating breakfast. This wasn't happening.

Logan frowned. He knew logically he had been a kid, and he'd spent years around them, but sometimes they confused him. He glanced at both the young women's reactions. "It's a sock."

"Oh my stars..." Of the senior instructors, only Hank McCoy had spent time in college dorm. He knew what this meant. And if Kitty and Rogue were here, there WAS someone missing. He glanced at Wolverine. This wasn't going to end well. "Is it your signal?"

"Jamie. He's who's missin!"

Thats when Logan got it. He went white with horror, then red, and finally white again. He didn't say a thing as he stood up, his claws unsheathing as he stalked towards the stairs. All the students moved away, parting before him a sea of mutants and he the One True Prophet of All Doom. He didn't notice Rogue and Kitty following him as he took the stairs three at a time, with Ororo, Jean and Scott not far behind.

Hank was going in the other direction, towards the infirmary.

_---nt_

The door latch was split in several parts under the monocrystaline edge of Wolverine's claws, before the door slammed open. "JAMES MADROX, GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY DAUGHTER!"

The bear-like roar was loud enough to be heard through the mansion, but the use of the D-word shocked most people into silence. It wasn't one he was comfortable using in public, and Laura never spoke of Wolverine as her father, just as Logan.

Reacting instantly, Laura rolled off the bed, scattering text books and calculators, a large sketch pad fluttering to the ground between the two warriors like a wounded swan. Her voice was raised, the scream of a catamount. "Logan? What is your problem?"

He held up the sock, dangling from a claw. "This! This means you have a boy in here!"

"SO? Jamie asked me to help him on his electronics project before we went to school." She waved her claws in the direction of the young man behind her, who's eyes crossed as he tracked the blades flashing before his eyes. So did a little bit of his life.

Jamie swallowed nervously. "I can go if you two need to..."

"Shut up Jamie, let me handle this." Laura's lips were pulled back in a silent snarl, matching Logan's. She was dressed as she normally was, cargo pants and a black tshirt. "Logan, what did you think we were doing in here?"

"What do you think I was thinking? You put the sock on the door so they'd leave you alone with Jamie?"

"Kitty asked me to put that there if I had a boy in the room, so she and Rogue would leave us alone, so we could study." She took the glare up a notch. "Some people respect that here."

He was starting to take it in. "I thought you two were in here, ss... ss.." He growled- it wasn't like he was a virgin himself. "I thought you were in here sleeping together!." He spat it out.

Jamie's eyes widened as felt his spine straighten up. The Wolverine, possibly the high master of ass kicking and generally manliness at the Institute, was afraid of him being alone with his daughter. Utterly terrifying, and an amazing ego boost. It meant he was a badass, a stud. It was like being the most wanted "mutant menace" on Kelly's hate list. If he got out of this alive, he'd be walking around with his own sound track, he'd be that cool. Laura was pretty good looking even for the girls at the Institute, and she was dangerous as hell.

"Why would it matter if we were sleeping? And he has a perfectly good bed of his own."

The innocence behind the angry tone hit Logan like a bucket of ice water. "But.." He waggled the sock. "I thought you were having s... sex with him."

"What? With Jamie?" She snorted dismissively. "No. Even if I was, why would I be so stupid as to leave a sign out?"

No greater wound could be inflicted on young Multiple with the full dozen blades bared in the room. With that snort from Laura, his male ego wilted, turned to dust and blew away. His shoulders slumped. Cool no more. Well, maybe a little- he was still studly enough to scare the Wolverine.

"Jamie. Go. Eat breakfast." Wolverine twitched his claws towards the door. His eyebrow twitched nervously. He was still looking at his gene-daughter as the ashen young man scuttled from the room. "Laura, it's time for The Talk."

"Uh, yeah." Rogue paled. "See ya'll later." She felt Kitty take a handful of her shirt, pulling back gently. Scott and Jean were already escorting Jamie towards the stairs.

"Oh no! Front and center you two, you get this lecture to."

_---nt_

Logan sat by the fountain, watching the water ripple. Everyone was giving him his distance- false alarm, but scary enough. He sighed as the Professor approach. "I know, Chuck, I know. I shouldn't have lost my cool."

"No, you shouldn't have." Charles Xavier set the breaks on his wheelchair.

"And I'll fix the door before lunch."

"I know you will." The Professor watched his friend closely. "You over reacted, but no worse than many fathers, and you showed commendable restraint."

"I'll apologize to Jamie when they get back from school." Logan wasn't in the mood to be praised. He'd blown it.

"Would you have actually killed Jamie if he and Laura were... involved?"

"Probably not. Might have tossed him out the window." He looked sideways at his old friend. "If you thought I was going to, you'd have done something, wouldn't you."

"Yes." Charles Xavier nodded.

"The five year old girl thing?"

"No- a mime."

"Rather get the braids and dress." He chuckled softly. "I really am a over protective daddy, aren't I."

"You never knew it had it in you, did you. If you'd asked, I'd have told you that they were studying." Charles Xavier's lips quirked up slightly. "Oh, and I don't think Alex has blinked yet."

Logan was silent at that news, watching the water. "Alex? Why should I have scared him more than-" He rubbed his throbbing temples tiredly. "Great. Just great."

**---Author's notes:  
**I think Jamie should at least get the bragging rights for making Wolverine show his true colors. And this isn't an parody, honestly. I've known guys who are career military (and I don't mean fobbits) who either turn into whimpering, gibbering piles of goo at the idea of their daughter in bed with a boy, or want to make said eager young space cadet disappear from the face of the earth.

And yes, I know my release tempo right now is insane. There is a reason for it.


	8. Chapter 8

**They Never Trained Me For This  
Chapter 8**

_---nt_**  
**

"Laura? Is that you?"

"Of course Alex." Laura hopped down from the branch she'd been sitting in. Most people thought sitting in trees was weird. In winter it was even weirder. She thought most people were just uncomfortable with the jump down- thirty feet was nothing. She landed on both feet, and made a forward roll through the snow to soak up the extra inertia. "Hi." It still felt odd to say that. It wasn't that it was a partial sentence, it just didn't feel like a word in her mouth. "You seemed disturbed about something- I thought it might be best to let you approach me. Is it about the other night."

"Yeah." Alex's voice was quiet and tense. Dejected. The other night was not an entirely pleasant memory.

"Oh." Laura felt an alien emotion. She didn't like it. Her voice was smaller. "Oh." She felt like she was shrinking.

"What? Oh! No! No, not the kiss, the kiss was good. The kiss was very good." It had been New Years Eve. It was one of those things that seemed like a really good idea at the moment, and she hadn't killed him. Neither had Logan. He figured that no claws meant that this was ok. "I'm sorry, I've just been thinking about him."

"Who? Magnus?" Magneto, or what had been Magneto, had been sitting on the front steps when they'd returned from Time Square. "No one will tell me why they don't trust him."

"Laura, he's a criminal!"

"So?" She looked up at him, her deep green eyes filled with a bleak plea. "So was I- do you know what I have done?"

"It-" It isn't the same, he wanted to say. He wanted to tell her it wasn't her fault, but he didn't know what he would be forgiving her for. He hadn't known X-23, only Laura. Sure, she could be scary, and had a temper, and one night had taken out everyone but her father. But this was the girl who sat in trees because they "listen well", and loved flowers and growing things, and made his brain do flip flops. Magneto was a monster. "You know what he did to me and Scott, right?"

"He made it so you'd have your brother again? That even if he didn't do things our way, he was trying to make sure a world that was better for mutants?" She turned her back on him, pressing her fingers to the smooth, cool bark of the old oak. "Yes, he brainwashed you. But you fought it, the same way I did with what they put in my head. It means you are stronger than he gave you credit for."

Alex shook his head. "It wasn't as bad as Jean makes it sound. In a few hours, we'd have shaken off the mental effects- look at Mystique." He let out a laugh. "But I bet you knew that."

She smiled as she looked over her shoulder. "So it was a failure, a desperate attempt?" She finished turning around. "I had not planned on my first fight with my boyfriend to be about Magnus' suitability to find sanctuary among us."

Alex had a thought. It must have hopped out and died from the fall as his mouth hung open. "Boyfriend?"

"Yes. You are reasonably attractive- pleasingly regular and symmetric features, fit, healthy, intelligent. Your perspective differs from mine but compliments my own. We have mutual friends and interests, while not being completely identical in that regard, so we will not become bored with each other. You are brave, honest and loyal." She had been stepping closer. "You smell good, even when you are afraid, and the thought of you causes a slight adrenalin release. And you did kiss me in public." She stood up on her tiptoes, kissing him lightly.

"Boyfriend." He felt rather like he'd been taken apart, measured and cleaned, and put back together after having been found to be within some set of specifications. He repeated the word a third time, sounding it out, trying to wrap his tongue around the sounds. It sounded pretty good. Sounded better when she said it.

"Perhaps not intelligent." She smiled up at him.

"What? Hey!" He started laughing. "I am too intelligent!" Her eyes glittered playfully as she raised a questioning eyebrow. "OK, how would I prove it to my girlfriend?"

"So you agree that you are my boyfriend?"

He started laughing. "Yes, I think I am." He hugged her, nuzzling his nose into her hair. "I've been attracted to you since the first time we met. I just wasn't sure how to ask you out."

_---nt_**  
**

It might have only been a gas burner made to look like a fireplace, but it still felt good to stand in front of it. Magus stood in the library, eyes closed, almost at parade rest but much more relaxed. He was wearing the training fatigues that the younger students did during exercises or in the field. He'd taken to wearing them most of the time; he and Charles might have been Storm and Beast's teachers, but where he was once the elder he now felt the student. He sighed contentedly.

But not happily. People left rooms when he entered them. He knew it was going to be an uphill battle. He just hadn't expected it to be a shear cliff. He had asked to be included in training sessions, hoping to at least be an equal. So far, only a few of the newer students did so. Ms. Smith, in particular, made him smile at times- she treated him almost like someone her own age.

The soft hiss of felt being dragged over a table top startled him. He hadn't heard anyone come in. He nodded to the form by the window. "I didn't know you played."

Laura finished setting out the chess pieces. "It is an elementary strategic trainer with a simple set of options."

Magnus laughed. "I think you actually believe that. Very well, young lady, but I hope I can show you that experience counts for something."

Alex leaned against the doorway, watching, as the duelists sat on either side of the board. He'd never forget, and he wasn't close to forgiving. But maybe she'd been right, everyone gets a second chance. He shrugged- no matter how he felt about Magneto, Magnus was here. Maybe before too long, he'd get the courage to talk to the man. But honestly, Magnus scared him a lot more than Wolverine did.

**---Author's Notes:**  
This is a few days after **New Years New Beginnings**, which has their first kiss and Magneto's appearance at the Institute. Xavier saw the return, and if they can forgive Laura and Logan for their pasts and Remy for his crimes, then Magnus has a chance, but I don't see Alex forgiving so easily, nor Scott. Kurt and Rogue will be at least as hard, but maybe what Rogue saw is just what Mystique's twisted, diseased mind remembers.

Alex can hide behind his girlfriend, she'll protect him from the mean old man.


	9. Chapter 9

**They Never Trained Me For This  
Chapter 9**

_---nt_

Logan sat alone on the steps. It was warm for this time of year. He was holding a large mug, savoring the warmth as he soaked in the sun's heat. He'd finished his paper, and was sitting on it so he wouldn't freeze to the steps. He'd pulled on a black sweatshirt under his jacket- he was cold. The box of kleenex next to him said he _had _a cold. He'd had hangovers that were worse, but only a few. He hated being sick.

"Rather get hit by a train," he grumbled as he reached for another tissue. Great and powerful healing abilities, but the common cold could still kick his hoop about once every eight, ten years.

Even stuffed up, he could hear the gate sliding open. The kids were home from their normal classes. He checked his watch. They'd love that he was down, they were getting out of a training session with him. He counted cars. Not too long ago, there would have been one or two waiting to pick people up after sports and play practice, but no more. The good news was that meant that no one was waiting for someone to get out of detention. There had been a bit of that- some of the kids were getting a bit big for themselves, they needed some humbling. He was almost tempted to spring Juggernaut out, so they could deal with him.

His chuckle at the thought Juggs as an object lesson turned into a cough. He might have hawked it up and spit into the snow if he didn't have people watching. He took a pull off his mug, face twisting at the texture of hot tea and phlegm in his throat. Waste of good tea. He blew his nose again, waiting for them to finish wandering over. His voice husked and rasped, worse than normal. "Case you didn't notice, I'm not running your training session." There was cheering and high-fives. "New Mutants, Mr Mcoy and Herr Wagner are on the obstacle course waiting for you. The rest of you get to play with Miss Pryde in the Danger Room."

The confidence course with Beast and Nightcrawler was nothing, so long as you could keep up- of course, you might get bamf'ed then dropped in a snow bank without warning or have to recite a sonnet from memory, but it would happen to everyone. But Kitty's Danger Room sessions were in some ways worse that with Logan. Logan's beat you up and wore you out, Kitty's would tie your brains up in knots while you raced the clock. If she didn't have you solving logic problems while under fire, she'd throw illusions and sound effects at you that would make Kurt's fur stand on end. There were groans.

Logan smiled back. Halfpint had a wicked streak, some of her sound effects made even his spine crawl. It had been five minutes since the gate openned. He squinted up at the sun- let them think about the powers of the Wolverine. "Three fifty or so- you've got about ten minutes, people, move." If it is possible to jog and shuffle at the same time, it would have been perfected by the students of the Xavier Institute.

Laura stopped, looking at him. "Logan, how can you be sick?"

He'd half expected this. "You don't get colds, do you." He knew the answer already.

"My immune system was designed with defense against all known and projected bacterial and viral strains in mind." She stared at him like he was a caveman screaming about magic when shown a flashlight.

He stared back. "Next year's model."

"You said that _last_ year." Her smile was faint, but it was there. They'd shared this joke for a while. He jerked his head back, towards the main entrance. She bounced up the steps- she actually liked the sound effects Kitty used, even the unearthly screeching of romantic raccoons.

Alone again, Logan looked into his mug. "If you were a clone, you'd catch this, kiddo." Without warning, something in his sinuses twitched. He sneezed directly into his tea. When he looked in the mug, something was floating. "Eeehhhh."

**---Author's notes:**  
Not a clone.

I can see the instructors, even the junior ones, being Mr and Ms at the Intstitute, at least when being official. Just hanging out or in the field, sure, first names or call signs, but in class, a little more formal.

Of course, I don't think that will actually last more than a few minutes.

And if you've never had the joy, romantic raccoons sound like an pscycho with an axe is running around for some good clean fun at a summer camp full of cheerleaders. I have seen grown men spend the night curled up in a ball for the rest of the night after being woken up by them.

Someone asked about this- healing factors mean he heals quickly. He can get drunk. He does have allergies. He does get hurt. Therefore, he can get sick. But a ten-day cold will put him down for a half a day or so.

And this was written while down with a cold.


	10. Chapter 10

**They Never Trained Me For This  
Chapter 10**

Well, it had to happen sooner or later....

_---nt_

Logan was trying hard to keep his emotions hidden as he stomped towards the headmaster's office. He and Charles had been called with bad news.

He tried hard to ignore the battered and bruised young men that sat in the hall. Most of them were at least a foot taller than he was, but they looked like a collection of broken toys tossed in a corner and forgotten. Some of them glared at the two men, holding ice packs to heads, hands, ribs, knees and points in between.

The woman in the front office was expecting them. She sniffed and told them to go in. The two visitors glanced at each other, ready for whatever lay inside.

_---nt_

"So, what is your power? All you freaks have powers."

Laura ignored the blond haired boy who poked at her shoulder. They all did. The students of the Xavier Institute ate together. They moved together. They'd asked politely to have their lockers together; the space had been promptly labeled 'mutie row' by some of the local wits. The only thing they couldn't do was have all their lunches together because they weren't all in the same classes.

There had been a few fights, but nothing that many of the felt was worth mentioning. The bigots had paid for their tickets and taken their rides. Of course, any fight had to be reported if it was seen by the school's faculty, and at home the instructors and the Professor asked about any bruises or scrapes. There had been meetings with the principle and the school board and lawyers from the City.

He poked again. Without pausing, Laura twisted, batting the pencil to the ground, before she kicked it under the table. "It is my pencil now, Frank. Please leave me alone." She turned back to her lunch, stabbing her fork into her salad angrily. The mouthful never made it to her lips.

"Hey, hands off! I'm just trying to eat lunch." Moonstar had two antagonists. One of them took a flask from inside of his jacket, shaking it suggestively. "Oh, come on, how about a little firewater?"

Elizabeth's hand on her friend's shoulder stopped the hallucinations before Mirage could inflict them. A short, sharp shake of the head reminded everyone of Xavier's rule. No fighting. They could take a little more, then they would run away. Only if they couldn't retreat could they get away with fighting, but they couldn't just run for the corner. Bobby and Ray had been grounded for three weeks already for that this year.

"Oh, it's so cute, your girlfriend doesn't want you to fight. Hey, is the purple hair natural." Fingers stroked down the back of Elizabeth's head. She shuddered.

That boy took the the heavy ceramic plate to the face like a discus. His head snapped back with a grunt. His buddy with the flask barely had time to register the carton of milk that was aimed at his eye.

There was a clatter as Laura's chair went backwards and she upwards. She jumped backwards with the grace and power of an acrobat, landing in the middle of the table behind her. Her hands cupped two heads, knocking them together with a sound like a Bigfoot hitting a tree with a branch. A foot shot back, catching one boy square in the chest. Then she went forward, avoiding her lunch and jumping over her teammates.

Her heels crashed down on one boy's collar bones, before both feet slammed into his sternum. That shot her back, beside the boy she'd thrown the plate at. Her hand dropped down, between his legs, squeezing, twisting, crushing as she lifted him onto the table, before she slammed her elbow into his temple. He slithered to the floor in a heap.

A pair of arms went around her middle, over hers, pulling her off the table. Her head snapped back, joined by the wet pop as her skull crashed into a nose. He was tough, he didn't let go- her head snapped back again. He wasn't that tough, he let go this time with a scream. She stomped down hard, the heel of her boot raking his shin painfully, before heading back in.

The trays were a fiberglass laminate, designed for abuse in schools, military facilities and prisons. One of the boys raised his like a shield. A short, loud scream went with the palm strike that snapped it like balsa wood, training and instinct letting Laura find it's flaw, before she grabbed his shirt front. The minor details became a blur to her after she headbutted him; he was out cold.

There was a general panic to clear the lunch room as a tiny tornado proceeded to systematically treat each of the hostile boys and their friends as her personal punching bags. One almost made it the door before she chased him down, and dragged him back. She was far from done with them.

_---nt_

Laura was standing before the headmaster's desk, stiffly at attention, her eyes on a point in space a hands breadth above his head. Something red and smelling of tomato's smudged her shirt and rode up into her hair. There were also the scents of milk, burger grease and italian dressing. She was the only one on the carpet, everyone else was already back in class.

"You are in serious trouble, young lady." Logan's voice was a growl. He'd been relived to see her ok, as relieved to see that the young fools in the hall weren't corpses. He'd known that she was involved, he'd been asked for specifically in the phone call. He had expected there to be others as well.

She didn't move other than to acknowledge them with a finger twitch.

"Laura, was it absolutely necessary to fight them all?" The Professor was calm. He'd been called here before. Unless they could get approval to run the Institute as a true and private high school, he would be again, and it was something he dreaded and hated. But he was surprised that it was Laura.

"Yes sir. They train as a team. Attacking one of them would mean they were all under attack. The best option was to make as fast and efficient an example of what the smallest of us can do to the largest of them. The psychological effects combined with the implication of what might happen if we were to all react to their provocation showed the greatest probability of deescalating potential future issues."

The principle blinked in surprise. This was about twenty times as many words than she'd said to him, and they weren't like any he expected from most students. He'd made a point of talking to all of the mutants at the start of the year, and she'd struck him as aloof and cold but studious then. She'd been quiet since then. Even her blind friend had had shouting matches with people. He'd figured her for the Xavier Institute's pacifist, non-violent.

"And why was that, Laura." Charles was using his calm and soothing shrink voice. "Did they pose a threat to you?"

She snorted. "No. They pawed Danielle and Betsy. Attacking one student of the Xavier Institute is to attack us all. The others behaved as you requested, they did not use their powers despite the provocation. They should not be punished; I am the only one who acted. None of the injuries will require more than ice and rest."

"So that made it alright in your mind?" Logan's tone was carefully neutral, but he smelled more worried than angry. Laura knew what he'd expected when he was told there had been a fight. But he wasn't happy, either. Chuck had good lawyers, and it could be shown it was because she was defending her friends, but then she had to take that one more step. She had to do it.

She said nothing.

The headmaster cleared his throat. "Uhm... yes. Mr... Logan? Your daughter is suspended tomorrow, for fighting. Although I wish you and your friends had told me what was happening, I can't let you get into a brawl without consequences, young lady."

Laura made eye contact with the white haired man for the first time. She swallowed. School wasn't difficult, but her assignment as a teenager was to attend school. It gave her time to observe normal students and study their behavior. Her lack of control had endangered her mission.

"And what of the young men?" Xavier lean forward in his chair. He was disappointed in Laura, but the use of the word 'pawed' angered him. Laura used her words precisely, the implication was something that he would not ignore. If the school condoned sexual harassment of his young ladies, he'd unleash his lawyers. But he'd also have a powder keg on his hands- his young people were always simmering with anger at this situation.

"Suspended for the next week, and the ones that were harassing Miss Moonstar and Miss Braddock are off the team, that behavior will not be tolerated. Everyone will sit out the next four hockey games once they are ok'ed to play. That means we don't have a junior varsity team for a while, by the way. You gentlemen do realize that all twenty of them are out there in the hall, don't you?"

Logan bit back on the start of a smile. "Really." He glanced down at his gene daughter- it had seemed like she had taken on quite a few, but he hadn't bothered to count them. Twenty-to-one, and all she needed was clean clothes and a hair brush. Oh yeah, that kind of ratio brought back memories.

_---nt_

Laura lay on her bed. She hadn't felt like eating. She was grounded. That meant no going into town with Alex this weekend, and she was cleaning the hanger, _Blackbird _and _Velocity_. She let herself smile- the cars in the garage were getting polished by the dozen or so who had made comments about her punishment. Jamie had to detail the vans and the Rolls after shouting "that's bullshit" at the Professor, and given how often the inside got cleaned in the X-van, that was a punishment and a half.

She had friends she could count on. All she could do was hope to be worthy of their trust.

Someone once told her she couldn't have family, she couldn't have friends. She couldn't go to school. They told her she had to kill. They told she'd have to find out if she could die one day. They would not be happy with her if they could see her now. Good.

She was alone right now. Rogue and Kitty were out, probably at the Professor's insistence. Isolation and negative social feedback were acceptable punishments. She'd added "sent to bed without dinner" on herself, as self imposed penance for breaking the rules of this house. She had ignored a few knocks on the door.

The knock on the window got her attention. She rolled over, opening the shade. She hissed, "Kurt, go away."

"Not happening." His tail was wrapped around the gutter, letting him hang upside down. "Everyvone wants to make sure you are ok."

"I'm fine. Go away, I'm grounded."

"Ehh, I von't tell anyone. And I'm an instructor, I'm supposed to set a good example." He extended his hand, a silver insulation bag in his fingers. "A half pint of jumble berries and cream, and half a pint of orange sherbet. And your favorite wooden ice cream spoon."

Laura smiled. The mixed strawberry, blackberry, blueberry and cherry ice cream with orange on the side _was_ her favorite. The wooden spoon didn't transmit heat, so the ice cream would stay hard, and the curved, oaken paddle had almost no flavor to it- she'd carved it herself as the optimal tool for the task. But she couldn't take the treat, she was in trouble. She crossed her arms, scowling. She pointed to his tail with her chin- he was hanging by it, but he said it hurt to have others pull it. Contradictory. "Doesn't that hurt?"

"Nein. And Tabby will eat this if you insist."

Laura's hand swiped out- Boomboom got her ice cream over someones dead body. Realizing what she'd done, Laura softened, laughed slightly. "Danke schön, Kurt. How many others are with you on this?"

She felt a sunlight-through-leaves ripple in her mind. _One or two. You should have told us sooner how bad it was. And I am proud that you didn't seriously injure them- you showed restraint, and accepted a harder fight than it would have been if you had killed them._

_Does that mean I get out of washing the aircraft?_ She hated picking bugs off the carbon fiber skins. They were low observability aircraft, she had to be careful. Scarring the skin could increase the radar cross section if they turned the beacons off.

The silence told her she should still plan on spending quality time with a sponge and bucket tomorrow.

**---Authors notes:**  
Yes, that Liz Braddock- a young and perhaps slightly shy Psylocke is one of this year's new students. Yeah, a shy Psylocke, not what I was expecting either.

If you look at the episodes of Evo that had X-23, she wasn't as tall as Logan, by quite a bit. He's only 5'3", so she probably isn't more than 4'10" or 11" the night she took out the entire Institute, so she's maybe 5' at this time. If those punks had been trained right, Laura would have been a grease spot, her teammates would have joined in, or she would have brought out the cutlery. Instead, they got ragdoll beat by one tiny girl. I can promise you that word of this will get out to other schools' sports teams.

And if you say it isn't fair, this is. The others got gigged because they yelled at the Prof, Jamie for using language unbecoming an X-man. Or even a New Mutant. Laura's getting to scrub because she didn't NEED to take them all down- making an example out of three or four would have been sufficient. That was just her wanting to hit something.


	11. Chapter 11

**They Never Trained Me For This  
Chapter 11**

_---nt_**  
**

The storm had been a bad one. Ice and wind had damaged several of the trees and made the driveway a treacherous, gleaming sheet. Ororo had been busy during the night to keep the wind from damaging the Mansion and the outbuilding. She was out cold, sleeping after the nocturnal battle.

For the students, this was a snow day. Even Jean and Scott's classes in the City had been canceled by the weather. A few people groaned with disappointment at the news that this did not mean it was a day off. Most people just groaned for form's sake, already expecting this.

The more muscular would be moving trees. There was at least one pine down, that was going to have to be limbed and sectioned, but Hank said he wanted it as intact as possible. He had plans for a new obstacle on the training course.

Those with light feet or flight were going to be clearing the roof of ice and the hanger stones of ice. One of them suggested that they also go ask if the neighbors if they could help the same way- a little good PR never hurts.

The thermally powered were going to clear the driveway and the walks.

The Professor, and two students on light duty due to strains from Danger Room training were going to be double checking the supplies, in case they lost power and water. So far they'd been lucky. They would also get lunch.

The morning flew by as they worked. The call to lunch was a welcome respite, even if it seemed to come much earlier than expected. Big pots of chili and chicken soup were on the stove, along with garlic bread, cheese and fruit. Everyone gathered to wash their hands.

Logan lathered his to the elbow, passing off the bar to the person next to him. Fingers rubbed between fingers, scrubbing the sap and wood chips that had stuck to his claws then were deposited on the thick skin between his knuckles. He watched out of the corner as the person next to him did the same.

Laura glanced at him. It was always good to work with Logan. Even more so than Alex or Betsy or Kitty or Rogue, she didn't have to say anything, she knew he'd follow her lead if it was a good idea. If it wasn't, he'd take a direction, and she'd follow him if it seemed like the better choice. Often it was. Sometimes it led to them going their own way to do the same thing, but more often than not, they were in sync. It was hard to believe that she hadn't been at the Institute a year yet, and only known him a for a few days in Canada and part of a night before then. But then, she was his clone. She'd been made from him, of course they should think alike.

She popped her claws a few times under running water, to make sure that nothing had gotten under her skin, scrubbing around them- it always itched when she had to push something out after it got pulled into her hands. Logan was doing the same. She'd never really watched him wash his hands, but they both did it the same way. A moment of curiosity struck her.

She reached over, taking his wrist in her hand. He glanced at her, curiously, as she turned his wrist a little bit, then pressed their palms together. His were larger, but not by much. Her fingers were a little longer, actually, but the real difference was in the width of the palm, and it's thickness. Her claws weren't quite as long as his, but broader, thicker bladed. His wrist was much thicker than hers, but their hands were both strong. He had more callouses, but only in a few places.

She smiled at him, unsure of why she'd done it. He smiled back.

They knew they were being watched. But no one said a word. Teasing the Wolverine about being a soft daddy was a good way to get extra chores. Teasing Laura about being daddy's girl was never done- it didn't seem healthy.

Professor Xavier smiled. They'd both been wild things when he'd met them. They had both changed much, and for the better.

At the kitchen table, Rogue sighed. She'd have given a finger or two to have had a picture of this moment.

Magnus looked down at his soup sadly. He thought of his own children. He excused himself quietly, slipping into the other room.

Boom-boom followed.

**---Author's notes:  
**A nasty ice storm is always going to take a day or five to clean up from. And they are weird days, you see people do things you wouldn't think they normally would. Not so much self-endangering, but just weird.

And I needed to write something cute- working on Age of Wolverine causes that.


	12. Chapter 12

**They Never Trained Me For This  
Chapter 12**

At the Institute, Laura has several friends, and not just the junior instructors. Some are her own age, but that doesn't mean they are untrained...

_---nt_**  
**

There was a knock on the door frame. Laura already knew the source, ears and nose revealing her friend Betsy. "Knock?"

"Hello Betsy. Come on in." Though she'd never admit it, she could use a break from her spanish homework. She'd put herself two nights behind practicing mountaineering techniques in the pit then talking with Kurt, Forge and Scott about the plans for _Blackbird-2_. Those were exciting- the new aircraft would be larger, have longer range, and they were putting the engines on the wings, rather than at the aft of the fuselage. That meant they could have a cargo ramp on the X-Men's flagship, which made it safe to jump from, unlike the current _Blackbird_. Of course, _Blackbird_ would be kept- she was faster and a bit more stealthy. The expanded fleet meant that anyone with earth moving powers could get credit and even pocket money for helping to revise the hanger pretty soon. None of that had been getting this drivel done, of course. "Stop! Betsy, high step, two feet in front of you- Kitty's shoes."

"Thanks. I'd feel a proper twit if I broke my neck tripping over Shadowcat's trainers." The blind girl's foot quested carefully, looking for the offending footwear. "I can see you fine, but the little stuff..." What she meant was, living people she could 'see' with her telepathy, but most inanimate objects were part of a void.

Laura leaned over, knocking her knuckles on the frame of the papasan chair. She smiled at the flicker of thanks from Betsy. "Aren't you supposed to be training with Kurt"

"Canceled again, another victim of Logan's cold."

Last week it had taken out Kitty and Rogue, and through them Kurt and Remy. Laura felt slightly vindicated that her upgraded immune system worked as designed. Of course, Alex had it now to. She didn't like the possibility she'd given it to him. Logically, there were other vectors, but Laura wondered if there was a flaw, or maybe an intentional gap in her design that could have been used to use her to distribute a biological weapon. "Bored?"

"Frustrated, mostly. I can't train with anyone else; most people aren't as good as I am." Never mind that swords and blindness were a combination most people tried to avoid. Betsy had been studying swordsmanship, Chinese and European forms, since before she was as tall as some of her swords. She'd started with her grandfather, who died shortly before her family returned to England with Hong Kong going back to the People's Republic, and continued with her father. He'd died in the same explosion that had taken her eyes and awoke her mutation. With Kurt and Logan, the Anglo-Chinese mutant had been able to resume that training despite everything that had happened. "Some one said you were third best person with blades here."

Laura's eyebrow twitched up. She knew it was a goad, but her pride had limits. "Third?"

"Well, Logan is the best."

There was a snort from Laura. As either one of them was willing to point out, he had the advantage of at least fifty years experience, but she was still faster. He was the only person she sparred with claws out- they both ended up breathing hard and soaked in sweat, and in the real world, timing and luck would have determined the winner more times than anything else. "Who is second?"

The smile was utterly guileless. "Me."

"Excuse me?"

_---nt_**  
**

Ten minutes later, they were in the Danger Room. They'd agreed- no claws, no telekinesis, just rattan training sticks, bare hands and bare feet. Both had put on pads, Laura had insisted. She knew Betsy's power mostly made up for her blindness, but she _was_ blind and she wasn't trained to take the same kind of abuse. Laura was wearing her usual training wear, which was the same as the rest of the time- combat fatigues and a tshirt. Betsy had changed into a dark blue leotard and a red sash- it made the wine stain birthmark on her face stand out stronger. Both had their long hair tied back.

In the control room, people were trickling in. Word got out fast- Laura and Betsy were going to spar. The living weapon and the blind swordswoman. In the words of Tabitha, "this is going to be better than anything on pay per view." Wallets were out, and money was on the control panel, along with scribbled notes about dessert and chore exchanges.

They had put mats down on the floor, covering a square about 30' on a side. The two warriors pulled their face guards down as the stood facing each other, about fifteen feet apart. They had dimmed the lights to the level Laura was most comfortable at, Betsy willing grant that as a concession against telepathy. It also made Psylocke's psychic signature, her 'butterfly', to be fully visible. Both bowed, then raised the rattan to the guard position of their choice. Given the variety of their training, they weren't sticking with any one set of rules. Best two out of three, to determine second best blade.

"Hajime?" Logan's training was most Japanese- after English, he preferred that language for his commands. They had been adopted by many of the students when sparing.

"Hai!"

Neither charged immediately, waiting to determine the actions of their opponent. They side stepped a few times, before Betsy moved forward. There was a flurry of whacks, the sound of blows being blocked and parried, joined by several kicks and a forearm-and-elbow combination, then they separated, both bouncing back to the starting distance. One bowed, the other saluted with her blade, confirming her point to the other.

In the booth, no one spoke. Money and notes moved from one pile to another, depending on the outcome of first fall estimates. It had been faster than they expected.

This time they didn't speak. It must have been a telepathic inquiry and then a confirming thought. They dove in straight this time, Laura feinting to go low. She must have been thinking about it hard, because Betsy leaped into the air. Laura reached up, taking her friend's wrist, turning it into a throw while her opponent was in mid air. Despite slapping down hard on the pads, Betsy still parried the the thrust that had been aimed at her, then rolled to the side, her 'sword' lashing towards Laura's ankles. Laura headed for the overhead as Betsy rolled back onto her feet. As if it was rehearsed, they were both upright on the mats with sticks crossing instantly. Betsy moved her lower hand up to choke up on the blade, then snapped the 'pommel' around, trying for a blunt strike at the wrist wrist. It hit at the same time as Laura's down snap to Betsy's right shoulder.

They both skipped back, shaking their arms. Both looked like they were laughing at the tied point.

Upstairs, the whispers grew more strident. The main point of debate in the wagers was coming down to psychic power vs enhanced perceptions, feinting with the body or the mind.

As far as their immediate concerns were involved, they could both tell the other's actions as they started, body language and scent matching telepathy. Swords went to the left hand.

""KAI!""

Swords thrust and swung, feet kicked out, right hands flashed in a variety of blows. Then there was crack, sharp and harsh, like old bones breaking. Part of a rattan sword slapped the polycarbonate window of the booth, causing everyone to jump back. The top half of the other one ricocheted up in the lights, then dropped down by the door way. The change in length brought a change in tactics, using short stick techniques. It had changed the dynamic of the fight. The girls were barely more than four feet away from each other at the most. Then one was in the air, held onto by the other. There was a thud as a body hit the pads, then a foot was on the back of her head lightly, pinning down while hands held the captured wrist still. There was a slap on the mat.

A tie.

Those in the booth looked around. Several swore. Had anyone bet on a tie? One had. Who?

In the back of the control booth, Charles Xavier beamed his relaxed, confident Budda smile to them. "Chores will be returned to those who were assigned them. The money will go in the student emergency fund." This was the fund that helped those students of lesser means cover unforeseen expenses that those from richer families could cover with ease. "Let this be a lesson to you all- betting against the X-men is a way to lose. You young people should know that by now."

**---Author's notes:  
**OK, I've been trying to do a chapter of Never Trained and one of something else a week for a bit now- not able to hit that this week. I'm even going to post this early, given how stupid the uploading system has been acting.

Oh, and if there were no rules, the odds would lean seriously to Laura. Betsy knows this, but she also has the upside of being a psionic. It was interesting to meet a Betsy Braddock that combines parts of the three major "versions" of her from the printed Marvel'verse, and a few traits unique to her. A canon-lawyer won't like her, but... *blows a big, wet Bronx cheer at the canon-lawyers* There, how's that for a rebuttal. And I don't know if she'll get new eyes- people can talk to Forge about that.

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	13. Chapter 13

**They Never Trained Me For This  
Chapter 13**

When in the course of human events, a young person's fancies turn to spring and another young person...

_---nt_

"Alex." Laura slipped into a chair, her bowls filled with granola and milk, and fruit salad topped with yogurt and dusted with wheat germ. "Do you own a suit?"

Havok glanced over at her. She normally would have said something about the amount of sugar and nothing else in his chocolate cereal and coffee cake; she'd never shown an interest in his wardrobe. "Why? What?"

She reached into the pocket of her tshirt, putting a slip of paper before him. "You need one. And a better breakfast- if you keep eating like that, you won't have the stamina to keep up with me."

He picked it up, a ticket. He'd forgotten that the tickets for the Sadie Hawkins dance went on sale yesterday. He kept looking at it. Oh man. He didn't even have a tie on the mainland.

At least one thing was normal for a Friday morning. He was getting grief for eating junk.

_---nt_

"I've been asked a favor from the high school- they would like a pair of chaperons from the Institute at the dance next weekend."

"Really?" Scott's expression was dubious. "Why us?"

"We are a significant and powerful minority population that is very alien to them. I think we can agree after the last few incidents, they may have a lack of confidence in their ability to keep order with our young people." If Xavier students hadn't wanted to show restraint, they wouldn't have. Everyone knew that they had been harassed to the point of taking it no more, especially after only one of their number had taken out several tons of jock in minutes. It had gotten better, but there was a feeling in some circles that the mutants had to be more a part of the school or gone. "It will help to show we are a normal part of the community."

"Like, I bet I can get Kurt to do it."

"Thank you Kitty, but they specifically requested no one who is a recent alumnus. And probably not Hank." There was still an unanswered question about a trashed chemistry lab.

Kurt sighed in relief. The last Sadie Hawkins dance he was at had involved devil dogs coming out of the wood work.

"So who does that leave, Professor?" Ororo stirred her tea delicately.

"Unfortunately, Mangus and I have to attend the grand jury for Trask next week. We will not be back in time- that leaves you and Logan."

"What?" Logan put his toast down. "This dance, does it mean dressing up?"

"A tie for the young gentlemen, but as adult members I'd like you to put a slightly more professional face on the Institute."

"Why not Remy? He could go."

"Sorry Logan, but Rogue an' I already have tickets for a concert. 'Sides, not right for a young man to go to a dance his cheri can not." Instinctively, he glanced towards the dining room entrance. Rogue skipping breakfast was rare- she must still be sleeping. Probably worn out from last night.

"Chaperons watch the dance Cajun, they don't dance themselves."

"Yeah, but where would the fun be in dat?"

For a paranoid moment, Logan wondered just when those tickets had been purchased. He felt like he was being set up. "You owe me, Chuck."

Jean chuckled softly. "It's ok Logan, I imagine a few of us can be just a shout away if the little savages go cannibal on you."

"Yeah, und you can keep an eye on Alex" Kurt's grin was slightly evil as he glanced down the table. Poor guy was still looking at the little blue piece of paper. "Kitty, I think you just got drafted for something special."

"Oh?" The realization hit. All that Laura owned for clothes were utilities and tshirts and some cold weather gear. When they'd done the life guard class last fall, she'd just gone in boots and all. "Oh!"

Logan groaned.

_---nt_

By lunch time, other tickets had been bought. Some were expected, like Rahne and Roberto- if that hadn't happened, people would be checking to see if the world was still there. A few were quite surprising, like the one that Jamie was handed by Danielle Moonstar. Even Multiple didn't have an clue that was going to happen, he had been beside himself in surprise.

_---nt_

"Look, Charles, I'll buy something off the rack. That will be good enough."

Professor Xavier shook his head. "Your contract reads, and I quote, 'the Institute shall provide any and all special equipment deemed necessary to conduct the normal and special duties of the Faculty and Staff.' Unquote. Have you ever seen me settle for 'good enough' for anything that wasn't supposed to be destroyed the first or second time it was used?"

Logan didn't feel right with this. This wasn't his part of New York City, this was where the guys who got paid millions of dollars to drink cocktails and lie to stockholders worked. A suit here would cost as much as a good bike. He could remember times where he could have lived for a couple years off this kind of money. He'd rather be someplace like the docks, or in the dives, or almost anyplace but here. People looked at him like a stray dog because of his jeans and boots, when they saw him at all. Fine, he didn't much like their type either.

He was still woolgathering when the Professor turned left to head for a doorway- Logan lunged for the handle. He knew that Charles could manage on his own, but it was an unwritten rule that you got the door for the Professor, not because of the chair but becuase of he was the Professor. "Ah, thank you Logan."

Charles wheeled himself into the small, brightly lit shop. This was where he had his suits tailored, had for many years. The needs of the rich had been served here, from flamboyant playboys to diplomats. The proprietor was an improbably tall and thin man- he looked like he'd been molded in clay and then stretched. The way he moved suggested he had extra joints, but no, only the same ones a normal human had. He was finishing with a customer.

"Of course, Ms Potts. But please tell your employer that if he is going to swim in red wine again, I might suggest a nice Korbin Kameron over the Joseph Phelps. Especially if he's wearing this suit- I think he'll find the hint of orange will go nicely with the cashmere." The easy smile was indulgent- he was used to the excesses of some of his more decedent customers. The redheaded woman laughed, thanking him before she left. She smiled politely to the Professor as she walked past.

"Ah, Charles Xavier, it is always a pleasure. All you told me is you needed something special."

"Yes Henry. My associate here needs a suit, a good one. And in a hurry if we could."

"Impatience? How odd." The man ran a practiced eye over Logan. "Your body guard?" The spider like fingers slipped into the vest pocket that fit the slim body perfectly, taking out a tailor's measure.

"At times, but always an old friend."

"Say no more, I don't need the bloody, gore filled details. Unless you gentlemen _must_ indulge yourselves in reminiscence." The smile was unchanged, but they eyes had- they were ghoulish. Logan was pretty sure this man hadn't always been a tailor. "And you, Mr. Bodyguard, do you have a name? Please remove the jacket, I won't tell if you have something noisy under there."

"Logan." He shrugged the heavy leather jacket off. Looking around for a place to put it, he tossed it over the arm of an overstuffed chair. He wasn't quite ready for the cool, slender fingers on his skin, or for them to be so strong. He was reminded of that movie with the crazy candy maker, he couldn't remember the title. He was half expecting singing, dancing gnomes to appear any second.

"Tut-tut, let me work young man- if you move, you'll look like one of those sloppy Secret Service lads the President has. Brooks Brothers, Ralph Lauren." From him, the brand names common to federal agents and mid-level execs weren't so much an insult or sneer, but an incurable condition, both fatal and embarrassingly self inflicted. "No guns, no knives, no armour- a martial artist? Oh, Charles, so subtle, so like you, I think I'll like Mr. Logan here. You'll need it a little loose so you can move, but well stitched, strong. I can make you amazing."

Xavier tried not to smile as Logan tried not to squirm. There was a reason why they'd come here. Yes, the fabulous and important came here, but so did those who took care of them. "_It is ok Logan, he is just... peculiar. He is the best at what he does, trust me. You'll like it."_

"_If you say so."_ Logan grimaced as the fingers roamed. "_I feel like he's going to take me apart and see what makes me tick."_

"Mr. Logan, please tell me that you will never need a pair of those horrid jungle pajamas that Charles has me make for him. If you do, I'll snatch him bald for crimes against fashion!"

Logan glanced down. The Professor's hairless dome shined in this light. Logan knew it had to be the baggy jungle fatigues that the Professor wore when he felt there was going to be a fight, a touchstone to days long past. Despite himself, Logan laughed.

_---nt_

"Kitty, have you lost your mind?" Laura stared incredulously at the shoes her friend was holding. The toes were pointed and pinched, and the heels had to be be at two and half inches, maybe closer to three tall. The points on those heels could be used for weapons. If she didn't fall flat on her face, her claws would be trying to pop out. "I'm not wearing anything like that."

Her feet were broad, and hard. They were feet that spent their days in combat boots, training in martial arts, and ran several miles a day if she wasn't rock climbing. She looked down at the feet of her friends- they had dainty feet, slim and pointed. Even Alex had she had feet like a guy, before he kissed her toes. That had been weird, but it had felt good. Sure, she could try to be girly, but she didn't have the feet for it.

Kitty giggled. "I wasn't thinking about these for you, and especially not before you picked a dress. "

"A dress?" Laura blanched. Ok, yes, this had been her idea. And she'd known that girls wore dresses to these things. For a moment, she wanted to find Alex, tell him it was a practical joke. Kurt and Remy and Bobby had been trying to explain the limits of a practical joke- she didn't see the humor. But that would mean backing down, aborting the mission. Normal kids went to dances, they danced. They danced with their boyfriends and she wasn't going to lie to Alex. She was going to at least look normal. "Ok, so where we do look for dresses?"

"Not here." The heels were put down. Laura was realizing what this was- an observation of a possible target of opportunity to be hit on the way out from the primary mission. They'd spent the previous afternoon looking at bags and jewelry. This morning, they'd started looking at more bags, and now shoes.

This was hunting. She could do hunting. Laura let out a deep breath, and smiled feraly as the others gathered.

_---nt_

"Hey, Alex?"

"Yeah Bro?" Sunday in the mall was not Alex's idea of fun. Scott, Jean and Kitty had organized a shopping expedition when it was realized yesterday that so many of the students either had (a) no formal clothes, (b) no fashion sense, or (c) they didn't fit. He'd brought a couple of dress shirts and some slacks, and he'd been among those protesting that it was the physical training not the good food that was to blame on tight collars and chests.

Well, that was the guys- the girls refused to wear the same thing they'd worn to other dances. Most of the guys would have been happy to go with the girls if they were dressed like normal, they didn't get it. Well, Roberto got it, but he shaved his legs to.

"I think I found the perfect tie for you." Scott was grinning as he held it up. It _was_ perfect, a riot of color, tropical flowers woven into the fabric. Alex grinned back as he took it. "Yeah! Cool, thanks Scott."

Scott shook his head- sometimes sarcasm just didn't work. At least he was going to try to get the black blazer they'd found him fitted a little better tomorrow after school. Roberto said he knew 'a guy' in town. 'A guy.' The description was little unsettling to Scott, but it was just blazers and slacks, right?

_---nt_

"Hey, Snowman." Tabitha motioned her teammate over with a jerk of her chin. She was leaning against the wall- Bobby was pretty sure she had a class to be in.

"What is it Boomboom?" Bobby wasn't happy with Tabby right now- she'd dropped a plasma ball about three feet in front of him that morning in training, and she was playing her usual games with people's heads.

"Look, about this morning. I screwed up, I wasn't trying to get you." She paused, letting the closest he'd heard to an apology from her in a long time sink in. "But you better make my girl smile tomorrow night." She grabbed him by the front of his tshirt, pulling him close so she could whisper in his ear. "Remember, I know where you sleep. Kay?"

_---nt_

Logan squirmed in the suit. It fit, it just felt odd, he'd never worn anything quite like this. "I look like I'm from the Texas mafia." He ran a finger under the collar. A black single breasted suit of medium weight wool, his cowboy boots (freshly polished), a crisp, fitted shirt of purest white linen, and a bolo tie. The hammered silver medallion had a paw print- five toes, and chevron-like pad- acid etched into it. He had no idea where the kids found it, but Jean had given it to him 'from all of us'.

Someone had even reconditioned his trusty black leather hat. He remembered it the first time he'd tried it on, years ago. The leather had been stiff and cold, it had taken months to break it in. A few days ago it had looked a little shabby, but it was comfortable. Now, it was still comfortable and experienced, but respectable. He looked in the mirror- he felt silly, he was no model. The tailor had giggled at the test fit this morning. 'You look like you'd make some funeral director a very happy man.'

Logan had made a point of not shaving, so he had two days of growth, soft and dark. And no cologne, he'd just smell like clean Wolverine. _That for being fancy. I'm no pretty boy._

Logan shook his head one last time, before leaving his room. A form lounged in the doorway across the hall. "What are you staring at, Elf?"

"A man who's going to have the frauleins fighting over him." Kurt grinned. Wolverine cleaned up well. The grin got bigger with the answering growl.

The others were already waiting. Logan knew about the origins of this tradition, he'd looked to see who Sadie Hawkins was. If these boys were in Dogpatch, they'd have to be able outrun Pietro to stay single. Even quiet, shy, slightly bumpkin-ish Madrox looked like a power broker in training. He knew that Scott and Kurt had taken most of the guys aside at some point, and Roberto had further told each one that if they looked like rag men, they'd embarrass him. They were sharp. But he wasn't exactly unbiased- they were his students.

The girls glittered like multicolored jewels. Jean and Kitty and Amara had done the same thing on their side of the house. None were more bold than Tabitha, her arms over Ray and Sam's shoulders- she'd bought two tickets again. Others were subtle, like Amara. But the one that registered most with Logan was Laura.

Her hair was up and styled. She was wearing makeup, of all things. At least she was still shorter than him, he didn't know which one he'd have believed less a week ago, her in heels or a dress. Right now, heels were impossible to imagine. Her dress was mellow, deep orange, long and flowing. The bodice was snug, and high necked with a layer of creame-colored lace over it. As he got closer, he could see it was backless. A set of gold bangles wrapped around her wrist. She was wearing flats, with open toes, rather than her usual combat boots. At least her familiar leather jacket hung in her fingers. "Logan. You look... good."

"Yes, he does, doesn't he." Unlike her students, Ororo Monroe had decided to shine as little as possible. She'd selected a dark grey skirt, and a matching jacket. Her blouse was a pale, periwinkle blue, the water silk seeming to ripple slightly in the light. Her hair was up as well, pinned in place with engraved wooden pins, grooves in the wood dark grained wood inlayed with gold wire. Her legs were bare, but Logan wondered how long she'd want to stand in those heels- he'd never understood high heels.

It was a Xavier Institute tradition, the photo. Prior to a field trip or a long planned mission or even just a dance. It was something that the older students said that the Professor had always done. Especially if he wasn't there to see them off.

It was almost like he was afraid they wouldn't come back. Most of the would have said that was crazy, they were the X-men.

There had been a little good natured debate as to who would take which van. The X-van was pretty and big and black, but it wouldn't have enough space for all of them. They also had the white utility van- it looked like an albino short bus. Now one wanted to be seen getting out of the other van, even if Scott was driving and he'd be taking the shame away.

The ones who had not shame, or were beyond pride, dragged their males to the less powerful white vehicle. Logan took the passenger seat, partially twisted so that he could see his charges. They chattered about the things that other kids did when he ran into groups of young people in public. He lightly tugged his hat lower, over his eyes. He was thinking.

_---nt_

Shadowcat and Beast stood watching the two vans pull out from the gate. Nightcrawler was organizing snacks for a movie night for those who weren't going to the dance.

"So, does Logan know you suggested to the Professor that we might provide chaperons? Or Ororo?"

"No, Mr McCoy." Kitty was using her innocent voice. "Do you think it is a bad idea?"

Hank laughed. "Having those two babysit a high school dance? Or that they do so together? I'm wise to you, Ms Pryde."

Kitty giggled. Actually, it was Jean's fault. She'd commented that Storm had been taking glances at Wolverine for a while, it was just something that slipped out at random. She'd immediately sworn Kitty to secrecy, but Kitty couldn't resist the chance to play matchmaker.

_---nt_

"Logan, if it gets too much for you, give a shout to Jean. We'll declare an emergency mission, land _Velocity on _the football field, head north." The students had already left the van, it was just the two men.

"Yeah... About that." Logan looked into the the rose lenses of Scott's glasses. The look was almost as tactile as one of Scott's with the shields off. "Don't even think about it. These kids want to be normal, let's give them a chance tonight. If it is that bad, my desk, top right drawer. Black address book, look under 'dirtbag'. Call Fury, let SHEILD and the Brotherhood deal with it for a change." Logan opened the door, stepping out. "Me or Storm will let you know when we need a pick up- use Snow White here."

"What if someone crashes the party."

"Then me and Storm'll deal with it- we're chaperons. Part of that is keeping them safe." He closed the door firmly- not slamming it, but hard enough that it was clear that Mr Logan of the Xavier Institute wasn't joking. He sniffed deeply- despite the poorly maintained cars, perfume and aftershave over applied, and nervousness, he couldn't smell anything like a threat.

Inside, the soft, tinted lights shifted slowly. Good- he hated strobes. The music wasn't his taste, not yet, but he wasn't interested in that. He looked over the knots of students. More were arriving. One or two he recognized from fighting with the Xavier kids, but mostly they were just ones he'd seen around the school when he was picking up or dropping off. The mutants were mostly in a group. There was some contact at the edge of their cluster, but they'd gotten used to keeping to themselves.

That part annoyed Logan a little. They shouldn't have to feel like outcasts.

Some of the adults were already talking with Ororo. They seemed polite enough, none of Kelly's bigots, but there was that special stiffness. He wandered over, to introduce himself to the others.

There was a slight cheer from all of the students when the DJ announced the formal start to the dance. Couples who were already close came together. Ray and Sam stood there, trying figure out how to make this work, while their date giggled that them. A few people just stayed apart.

_---nt_

"I didn't know you _could_ dance." Alex flinched inside, he knew he could have phrased that better. He was glad for the unofficial classes in applied probability and statistics with regards to small group psychology and finance that Gambit sometimes taught. _Yeah, real smooth Alex.  
_

"I learned." Laura gave him her slightest smile, the smug one. "From Kurt. And you will not be jealous of him."

_Jealous?_ He pulled her closer, possessively. His fingers ran along her bare spine. His brows pulled together as he bared his teeth and tried to growl, but his eyes were laughing. He knew she knew he was joking. "Jealous? Oh yeah." He kissed her lightly. "Is that why Nightcrawler was walking like he'd stubbed all his toes the other night?"

She blushed and snuggled against him. It was a very slow song.

_---nt_

It had been a relatively uneventful night. A few couples would dance, then they'd take a break as other couples danced. This had been the first time this many of the Xavier students had been at a dance and nothing had gone wrong. They were acting like normal kids, at least as normal as they could ever be. Logan was wondering what stories had been told about him and Ororo- the local kids seemed to be comfortable with her. He blamed the suit for making them nervous around him. Either that, or a _lot_ of stories had been told. The list of likely suspects was as long as the rollcall.

"Logan, you've been scowling all night." He shrugged. "If I didn't know you better, I'd think you were afraid someone might ask you to dance." Ororo's eyes were twinkling with mischief, and she was smiling.

"I'm here to make sure they just dance. I don't even know how to dance." Actually, he was trying to scare people off. His nose told him that some of the lady teachers had noticed him. Horrifyingly, so had one or two of the students. The only real excitement was when he'd found one boy with a flask of the cheap gin, barely a grade above paint thinner, in his jacket. Dumb kid has some on his breath. An open hand and a growl had gotten the message across, and the booze had been poured into the grass outside. The kid knew, and so did the assistant principle now, but it had been done discretely- any embarrassment and punishment could happen later.

"I've seen you learn martial arts moves by observation. I bet you could dance if you were asked." She ran a fingertip along the firm line of his forearm. So she was taller than him, that was ok. She'd always found him handsome, but for too long he'd been on the borderline between civilized and something quite a bit less so. He'd mellowed as he'd gotten closer to the students, and then to Laura. She liked what he was becoming, even if he was a little rough around the edges.

Logan blinked. He thought that Storm was beautiful, but he really hadn't thought about a relationship. Not with her specifically, but with anyone. It just wasn't something he'd thought about, period. Yes, he admired and respect her professionally, and considered her a friend personally. And she was attractive, but most women were if they didn't have a lousy personality. This was a first in his admittedly dented and rusty memory, being asked to dance.

He wasn't going to ask about the punch- he'd had a glass, it wasn't spiked. "I'll probably step on your toes."

"Oh? I think the Wolverine is bashful." She felt that way herself, but there was nothing to be gained by not saying anything to him for another year. She leaned closer, whispering. "It is cute on you."

He flushed. A shiver ran up his spine. He let her take his hand, and followed willingly- he would not make her drag him like a dog on a leash. At least it was a slow dance for a change. Other than the one at the start, it had mostly been something he wouldn't have called music or dancing.

This felt a little odd- she was seven, eight inches taller than him, and her heels made her even taller. He was looking up into her blue eyes- a pale pure blue, like the winter sky on a clear, cold day in the mountains, her silvery white hair like moonlight spun into silk. He could feel her fingernails teasing the short hair at the nape of his neck. His hands were on her hips- it wasn't the first time he'd held her, he'd picked her up by the hips before in training or on a mission, but this wasn't the same. A part of his brain realized what he was thinking, and started running about in circles.

Across the gymnasium, Alex leaned down, whispering in Laura's ear. "I think Logan just made a friend."

Another student, not a mutant but a townie, murmured sotto voce, "Looks like the school ma'rm got the sheriff." Some of the mutants chuckled, but mostly the opinion could be summed up as either 'no way' or 'way to go'. There was even one or two 'about time's.

_---nt_

Logan stuck his head in through the open door. It was after 11 on a Friday night, so you had to be in your wing, but so long as you were quiet, lights out weren't for an hour. "Alex, wanna take a round with me?"

Alex shared a look with his roommate. They were both just relaxing after the dance, reading. Usually if Logan asked you to walk a round, he was going to chew you out for something in private. "Uh, yeah, sure, let me put my shoes on."

"Grab your coat, we'll walk the fence first."

Alex swallowed. He had images of chains and cinderblocks and the cliff in his head. He knew that Mr Logan had seen his hand on Laura's backside earlier tonight. This wasn't going to end well.

They didn't say anything further as they went out the front door. First stop then was going to be the front gate. They walked down the length of the drive way, looking for signs of anything out of place that might be a threat. Alex was surprised when Logan stopped halfway between the fountain and the gate.

"OK kid, if anyone ever asks, we did not have this conversation. You do, I'll run your ass into the ground every morning and have you doing push ups for lunch, got that?"

This could be interesting. A special mission? There were rumors about off the books trips, usually Logan with two or three students, but it could be any of the instructors. Just a few weeks ago, his chores were all in the hanger and he'd helped repack chaff and flare launchers- _Blackbird _had taken fire, and it was a mystery where or why. It didn't take a genius to know that the obstacle courses and tactical simulations and locked doors that had to be a foot thick covered more than just search and rescue, self defense and dealing with things like Apocalypse. As soon as it warmed up, they were going to start jumping again, and he was already being asked if he wanted to help teach a scuba class. He did his best to look casual. "Yeah, what's the op?"

Logan gave him an appraising look, one heavy with age and experience brutally earned. He'd seen that eager look before, all on people who hadn't been there yet. He shook his head, dismissing it. "Look, I can't ask anyone else. Scott and Kurt, they wouldn't get it or they'd laugh themselves sick, and I don't know what Rogue and Remy do for fun and we aren't going there."

OK, maybe not a black op. "Mr Logan?"

"Look, Alex, right now, I'm just Logan. We're just two normal guys." He grunted a little laugh as he looked back towards the house. He took a deep breath. Then another. "I know I've dated women, at least I hope I have, but I don't remember any of it. Laura hasn't killed you, so you are doing something right." Logan glanced towards the girls' wing of the house, to Storm's window. "What the hell do I do?"

**---Author's Notes:**  
ACK! I just realized who will read this. So, Korbin Kameron is a California vineyard, who makes an extremely nice cabernet that runs about $80 a bottle. I actually think it smells better than the $250 Phelps- never tried that latter, only smelled the cork at a wine tasting. And lets face it, while any of us are going to shriek at the idea of swimming in wine that costs that much, Stark has the money. Waste of a good cabernet, though, I'd rather have it with an extremely nice piece of lamb or beef or buffalo. A little strong for venison though- I suggest a nice light ale instead.

If you're like me, you'll buy off the rack. Yes, custom made is a wonderful thing, but unless it something you aren't planning on wearing more than once or twice a year over the course of a decade, then a little tailoring to make rack bought actually fit you is a worthwhile investment. It separates someone who looks like a shlub from one who looks like a professional. That is why even t-shirts look good on actors- they are fitted by tailors. And why models all look like they came out of the same factory.

And Roberto should be metro. *snickers* I don't mean that to be nasty, I several guys who still are, well not 'metro', at least 'euro'.

Five toes with claws (sometimes the outer most toe is absent) and a chevron pad is the footprint from a member of the weasel family. The biggest feet in that family belong to the wolverine.

Remy's applied stats class is the floating card game you all probably thought it was.

Yeah... asking Slim2 for dating advise is probably a sign of desperation.

And Alex is right. Who the hell wouldn't look at the stealth, armed aircraft and the combat sims and the obstacle course and NOT wonder if it wasn't somehow tied into the covert world. Yes, I would send my kids there, but only if they convinced me they wanted to live that life after seeing what it does. Normal people, wow, what are they thinking? Did you even take the tour?! Maybe Mystique was right, maybe the are all just pawns and tools of Charles Xavier.

Oh, and something I didn't learn until AFTER deciding that someone was going to rehab Logan's hat. The word "chaperon" comes from falconry- it is the name of the leather hood that is put over the hawk's head to keep it docile. Neat, I love it when the jokes look like they are planned.

And what is it? There all these watches and all these alerts for this, but so few reviews. Come on, tell me what I'm doing right, and doing wrong!


	14. Chapter 14

**They Never Trained Me For This  
Chapter 14**

As an author, I feel I have a duty to provide education and reinforcement of certain social messages... Yeah, right, read it all you jokers.

_---nt_

"Vhat?" Kurt stopped short in the hall. He took a step back, and looked into the door to the infirmary. The fishbowl of condoms was about half empty.

None of the instructors were really comfortable with the idea of the kids fooling around. But it would happen. They were all active, fit, aggressive. They were close, and isolated from the outside community by prejudice, so of course they dated amongst themselves. Some were serious, others were just friendly. In all the time that he'd been at the Institute, he and Jean had had the only significant relationships with non-mutants. Everyone knew things would happen, and the kids had all had the "if you do it, do it smart lecture" from Scott and Jean. Some even got the special one from Logan- after the misunderstanding with Laura and Jamie, it had been decided that if you broke the rule about keeping the door open with someone of the other half of the species in your room, getting Wolverine's version of The Talk was the punishment.

The bowl had been full just the other day. That was a lot of doing it smart.

Even Roberto and Rahne weren't that horny. Amara and Bobby had been a flash and some steam and then just fizzled, although they still might be more than just friends. He was pretty sure that Tabby wasn't serious, just a hellacious flirt, but he wasn't completely sure. And it certainly wasn't him and Kitty. He grumbled as he pulled the box of mixed brands from under the counter, refilling the bowl.

Possibilities were many, even still. Scott and Jean of course. There were whispers about Wolverine and Storm, but they you had have known them to know that their body language had changed- he hadn't even seen them kiss. That they were a couple was denied by both of them, and by his daughter, and-

"Nein, nein, nein."

_---nt_

Jamie plucked the little red package out of the garbage can at the end of the guy's hall. Giggling, he looked around the hall. He really tried to not act like a little kid, but... jeez, dump this at school, guys. He figured they should have learned from his lesson, at the very least.

He smiled an evil smile.

He let the Trojan wrapper fall. He slipped it partially under the door to Logan's room, like it had gotten away from the trash can. He really liked Storm, but he was pretty sure she wouldn't pay attention to any whispers and giggles. Besides, someone had been rolling around in the high grass by the gazebo, after bed check, and there had been thunder with a clear sky the other night. So he'd get a little fun at Logan's expense.

He looked around again. There were the usual suspects. He knew it wasn't Roberto and Rahne, every time they were in the room they kept the door open like the rules said. Roberto was very much the good boy, even if it made Rahne crazy sometimes. Only time Jamie's roommate had lost it had been when someone called his girlfriend a "overheated bitch"; even if it was true that it seemed like she preferred her canine form to her human one sometimes, it wasn't cool to call Rahne that.

Despite the talk, it was unlikely any of these guys were actually getting past cuddling. They were too tired. It had to be someone athletic even by their standards, or at least trained for stamina. Someone who was always being eating right, and training harder. But that described any of them.

Well, there was one. Trained harder, made to eat better, because he had to keep up with his girlfriend, and he needed his strength...

Multiple dove towards Wolverine's door, grabbing the prank. He landed hard to get a few copies. They were pawing through the garbage. These were going to be hidden in his room, and buried in the trash at school on Monday. Oh wow. This wasn't a prank, this could be life or death.

"Idiot!"

_---nt_

Kitty frowned at the garbage can. She jiggled it with her foot. Oh god, that was a lot of wrappers. And... large sized. Kitty blushed.

She looked around the room. She and Kurt hadn't needed any yet. That meant.... Kitty giggled. She wasn't entirely sure how that worked without killing someone, but ok. "No wonder Rogue has been oversleeping...."

"What 'r ya sayin' 'bout me now?" Rogue entered the room. She'd grabbed a shower after running a bunch of students through a danger room session. The towel ruffled through her wet hair. "Lose something?"

"Like... uhm... well..." Wow, this was totally embarrassing. Kitty wanted to phase through the floor, but she'd knew she'd have to explain why she was this color. "Uhmm... Congratulations, I think."

"What are ya talkin' 'bout?" Rogue glanced in the trash. "Ah thought those were you an' Kurt. An' thank you so much for reminding me that mah fuzzy brother has a sex life. Really don't need that image in mah head."

"No, they aren't ours, we don't need..."

They looked at each other. They look at the wrappers- they weren't torn, they were cut. They looked at the third bed. It looked back. "Oh crap."

"We ain't tellin' Logan. Alex'll be a deadman!"

_---nt_

In a little used storage room, Laura and Alex fumbled amongst the shelves. It was stuffy and dusty and the few lights were small and dim. It was hot, they had sweat streaming down their bodies from the humidity. The noise from the HVAC system next door covered the thumps and bumps they were creating.

Laura popped her claws, slitting a little package open delicately. "You sure? This one is going to be a tight fit."

"Yes, tighter the better." Alex gently brushed the lock of hair from her face. "Trust me, for this, we want them tight. All this gear has to be kept dry if we are going to use it for the diving class."

Laura slipped the pen flare launcher into the sheath, tyeing it shut. She slit open another package for a flare- threading the two pieces together would cut the rubber, and the tension would pull it out of the way. "We are only going to be going into the Bay. I've never carried this much gear on a dive."

"So says the girl who thinks backup 'chutes are for softies. Safety gear, in case people get separated- listen to the voice of experience."

"That you survived is part of why I like you." She poked her finger against his chest playfully. "And I never said that reserve parachutes were for people who were soft. They are for people who die easy. You don't get to die unless I say so."

Logan growled. "Flirt later. I'm not letting you kids out there without backups and signals and that is final. If you aren't safe, you don't get wet, got it?"

Everything was quiet for a minute. Alex snickered. Logan's head dropped into his palm. Laura looked at them both- she knew she'd missed a joke.

She was going to be working with Storm in the greenhouse this afternoon. She'd be able to explain it.

**---Author's notes:**  
If it doesn't like getting wet, it gets waterproofed before going into the field. An unlubed condom is perfect for so many things that need to be dry. Batteries, flares, lights, small radios, small cell phones, medical gear, caps, initiators- basically, if it fits, they are cheap protection that you can tear away fast. There are better products for many of these items, but you don't always have them when you need them and they are generally designed for a specific item. In 20 years of being in the outdoors under any conditions, I've never lost anything that was protected this way due to water.

Consider the innuendos served on a sledgehammer my public service announcement.

Since I see Logan's job as the head of security as well as physical education, along with some languages, I think he'd be the one to talk to about safety gear for their off campus training. And I'm not sure why while writing the chapter about the Sadie Hawkins dance I ended up turning into a Loro fan, but I am. So I'm going to take this sucker and run with it. Sorry 'Ro, but your weasel is getting harrased.


	15. Chapter 15

**They Never Trained Me For This  
Chapter 15**

Alright! I heard a rumor that someone thought Raven was getting soft! He was getting all snugly and warm fuzzy. SOFT? SNUGGLY?! Who said that?

Oh, yeah, I did. Silly rumors....

_---nt_

The Professor's hand pushed down on the red mushroom-shaped button on the control panel. Below them, the illusions dissolved, the simulator drones coming to a stop. Pulled from the hardlight psuedoreality of the Danger Room session, several of the student's stumbled. Everyone looked up to the booth.

"I'm sorry for the interruption, everyone. Jamie, we need to talk to you."

The conversation was muted in the hallway outside the Danger Room. All the instructors were there, standing while Beast and the Prof talked to Multiple. His expression grew more somber with each second, until he bit down on his lower lip. He wrapped himself around Hank. The Professor touched his shoulder, asking something; Jamie nodded.

Jamie Madrox had grown a lot the past few years, not longer the hopelessly shy, socially inept farm kid that tagged along like an annoying little brother. But he had never lost his sensitivity. That honesty and trustworthiness made him as much a part of the team as Bobbie's leadership or Ray's streetsmarts.

The Professor wheeled over. "Jamie's parents are dead. Their farm was hit by a tornado just a few hours ago- their bodies have been identified." He bowed his head. There were gasps and a prayer or two. "The senior instructors and I will be going with him, to help make the arrangements and see if there is anything we can do."

"We should all go."

"No Bobbie. All of you would overwhelm him. We will let you know if your abilities would be of assistance to the town." Charles made eye contact with each of them. Even the most outwardly obnoxious of them had great empathy, even more so for their teammate. "I am leaving the junior instructors in charge. I expect you to listen to them like you would me."

_---nt_

Everyone had hugged Jamie before he could get to the hanger. He looked a little lost as he glanced over his shoulder before the blast doors slid shut. With a howl,the catapult hurled the _Blackbird_ airborne.

Some wandered off alone. Others clustered in groups. They were all thinking about their own families, even if some of them did try to hide it.

Alex found Laura up in one of the trees. He still couldn't understand how she could jump like that, it wasn't human. But he already knew he was dating a superhero- so was she. He sat at the base of the tree, looking out over the water. Eventually she lept down next to him. She leaned against his shoulder.

"What is it like? Loosing your family?"

Alex blinked. "I don't remember, not really. I was too young. But I remember being scared, not knowing if anything was ever going to make sense again. I woke up for years expecting Mom and Dad and Scott to be there, only to have Mom and Dad Masters be there." He shrugged, at a loss for words. "I can't really tell you what it is like; if you were a telepath it would be easy, I could show you. You'd have to experience it."

She'd asked Betsy already, she was trying to gather more information. "I can't imagine how I'd feel about Logan dying."

He laughed as he put his arm around her, hugging her to his side. "I can't imagine what could kill him."

"Nuclear detonation, large energy weapons, orbit to surface kinetics, some chemical weapons. Incineration. We could be dissolved in acid or a hal-" Alex's finger on her lips stopped her. She pulled her head back a little. "Was that a rhetorical question?"

"Yes, it was." He ran his nose over her temple, breathing in her scent. There were times when she didn't have to share. He kissed the top of her head. "You're part of a bigger family than you think, you know."

"It is hard to think of anyone as 'family', the way you do."

"Well, family are the people who really matter to you. The Professor says we are family; a strange one, but a family."

She knew every student and faculty member of the Institute, summoning them in her mind in a flash, organizing them on a whim by importance to her. Not as efficient as name, age, or various tactical comparisons, but interesting. She knew them by name, face, voice, scent, their footstep in hall, their powers and the effects, by what they ate. All of them mattered to her quite a bit she discovered, even ones she thought were annoying. Many of them mattered more than she did to herself. She shivered, pulling her knees to her chest, her arms around them protectively. "I didn't know it then."

He knew what she was talking about. He'd heard the stories and seen the security camera footage. Even she'd talked about it once, just briefly. "Hey." He kissed the top of her head again, pulling her closer. "You and your dad, you can't be killed without destroying a zip code and you two could take out everyone here, either one of you. So you two are our guardians. So long as one of you is here, nothing bad can happen to us."

She nodded, wishing she shared his confidence. He hadn't been here then. She glanced up at him. "Logan isn't my 'Dad'. I'm his clone, I'm a copy. We've had this talk."

Alex wasn't touching that one. He couldn't see snuggling with the Wolverine. No way.

_---nt_

Remy had organized a crew to make supper. It was informal, all teen age comfort food. Burgers, pizza, grinders, mac n cheese. Kitty had let them pick anything they wanted for movies. They were getting to eat where they wanted, rather than the dining room or the kitchen.

Magnus was in Washington. He was disclosing information, it was part of the deal that let him stay at the Institute rather than Area 51 or some place worse. He was going to try to be back in the morning, he couldn't be sure, it all depended on the Justice department people.

_---nt_

X-23 had her head down on the table. She could smell them, the boys who'd been playing chess. It hurt to see it. She'd never seen someone like herself her own age- these were the closest. But they were still weak, they had to be punished for their weakness. She was going to punish them, and then she'd be alone. If she was the only one, she couldn't be compared to anyone, she'd be unique. They wouldn't be able to replace her.

"Hello." The old man. She'd designated him H1, hazard-1, the most dangerous risk to accomplishing her mission, other than the target. "What is your name?"

X-23 couldn't have a name, only a designation. She jabbed her claws into his temple, twisting them. She could feel the soft squish- no matter how powerful the mind, they were all physically about the same. The field expedient lobotomy took care of any hazard he'd pose. There was grating pop as bone chipped away from around her claw- with a twist of the wrist, the brainstem was severed. What was once Charles Xavier slumped lifelessly in his wheel chair. She lifted his hip, sliding a pocket mine under him. If someone moved him from the chair, the tiny charge would detonate, scattering the fragmentation ring's metal shards.

There was a whimpering noise in the background. X-23 looked around for it in annoyance, but couldn't find it. Maybe it was something in the heating system, a fan.

She paused at the door. It had been too fast for them to hear. She had many more hazards to clear, while the target was away. Who should be next was the question- so many to choose from. H2 was another mind reader, she had to go, but H5 and H6 would be hard to capture. H7 would be easy, but had special handling requirements. She slipped out the door.

She could hear the whimpers again. One of the students must be crying. Pathetic weaklings.

She checked a door. Open, one inside. She sighed. H5 made it too easy- a phaser should have been harder to catch. But if this hazard wanted to sleep through combat, that made it easy. It was quick, but almost not quick enough- the body phased partially though the bed, becoming one with the mattress and frame as the mind died. X-23 made a point of terminating the ludicrous stuffed dragon as well.

That voice, it was louder. Simpering and sobbing, begging for "it" to stop. No one here knew about pain, they played at training. They laughed and joked, when they should have been sweating, bleeding, hurting. They had nothing to cry about.

She was at the door, listening for any traffic outside when she heard an alien pop-bang noise between her and the bed. "Keety? KEETY!! N-" X-23 kicked out from behind, the claw there piercing the blue furred armpit. A few more twitches made sure the heart and lungs were destroyed, then a hard jerk of her leg to sever the spine between T3 and T4 vertebrate. She retracted her claw. H-6 fell forward onto what was left of H-5 and her bed. His hand landed in hers, dead fingers lacing together.

_This is too easy. These X-men are the greatest challenges to me out there?_

The crying became screaming. Too loud, too shrill, it hurt X-23s ears. Pain was nothing, pain alone can not kill. Oh, yes, she would give the source of the noise something to scream about. She'd skin the annoying child! They thought they knew about the real world. This was going to be more real than any of them could imagine

There was a bang, and the high pitched shriek of a young man gutted and probably unmanned by shrapnel. He would bleed out quickly. Someone had tried to move H1's body. X-23 wondered who- it could change her tactical priorities. She doubled back at a jog- the sounds of pain would draw her prey to their packmate.

It was a certainty that if she terminated the hazards, then her target would engage her.

If she destroyed the original, she'd be the perfect weapon.

_---nt_

"LAURA! WAKE UP!" Rogue ducked again. "Lousy time ta start sleepwalkin', suga."

So far no one had gotten hurt but the younger of Rogue's roommates had only been out of bed for about two minutes. She'd had nightmares before, but nothing like this. Kitty had already gone to get Storm and the Professor. Rogue hadn't even had a chance to get gloves on before she had to leave her bed- at least this time the nightmares had some screaming in them. Otherwise, Rogues's pillow would be alive, not her.

Rogue jumped again. _Ok, time to get outta here._ She bolted, twist the knob and jumping through as soon as it was open enough. _Oh man._ The other girls were starting to explore the noise. Rogue pulled out her clearest command voice. "CLEAR THE HALL! LOCK YOUR DOORS!"

Almost as if she on queue, Laura disposed of the obstacle between her and what her unconscious saw as her target. The solid wood door to their room fell into the hall in three pieces, demonstrating the danger . Doors slammed and locks clicked. Rogue didn't have time to count them as she rolled back, then going flat to avoid the foot aimed at her. From there, there was no place to go- once you are flat on your stomach, you're done if you don't charge. "STORM!"

Laura's fist was coming down when Rogue remembered that the Professor and the senior instructors were gone with Jamie, including Storm. She figured she was done when the felt as much as saw the splash of purple light. Rogue twisted out of the way. Not everyone had learned to listen to orders, but she wasn't in a position to complain. Betsy's psiblade had parried Laura's slash. Now Psylocke was the target.

"Sorry Laura." Rogue had to shut this down right now, before anyone got hurt. She wrapped her bare hands around Laura's ankles. Both gasped at the contact. She was vaguely aware of Betsy's grunt of exertion- she was far enough back that she had to be using her telekinesis to wrestle with Laura. Rogue closed her eyes, trying to hang on as the emotions and memories whipped at her.

She knew Laura stumbled. Rogue got both hands on one ankle. She was vaguely aware that Laura was down when she passed out.

Kurt bamfed into the hall just in time to see them both fall. Laura fell like a sand bag. He grabbed his sister by the collar of her tshirt, pulling them apart as the door into the hall crashed open, spilling the other instructors into the hall. "Vhat the hell was happening?"

Kitty had been expressive that there was a internal danger, but the details had gotten lost. He checked the smaller girl's pulse

Kitty phased through the guys without bothering to apologize- she would do so later. "She was having a bad dream, then she was out of bed and swinging."

From inside the room she shared with Betsy, Danielle peered out cautiously, still holding her lamp in both hands. "Don't look at me, I didn't have anything to do with it."

"It's ok, Dani. We don't think you did. We don't know what happened." Kitty touched her fingers to Rogue's ankle through the fabric of her pajamas. Not as easy to find the pulse there as the throat or wrist, but safer. Strong, steady. "Kurt, get Laura down stairs, right now."

Kurt picked Laura in his arms. He wanted to moan- she was limp and her skin was clammy. She was lacking the lightness that the living have. Rogue had given her the once over, and done it twice. He bamf'ed to the infirmary, laying the young woman on one of the beds. He hated attaching the sensors, his fur always stuck to the adhesive. But he really didn't care right now. Rogue was his sister, and Laura was like a little sister to her. And to Kitty. And Logan was like his big brother. He prayed silently as he got the medical systems online. Her pulse and respiration were good, and she had brainwave activity. Past that, he didn't know- sure, he was training to be a medical tech, but this was way beyond him.

Carefully, he straightened one of her legs. Reflexively, the claw slid back against her tibia from the cartilage passage in her foot.

Kitty sank through the ceiling, holding onto Remy's shoulder as he cradled Rogue in his arms. She was pale, paler than the make up she used to wear.

_---nt_

It was too much for some of them. They all felt bad for Jamie, but Laura freaking out like this had unsettled many of the students. Word had filtered through the boy's wing, garbled rumors started by what Kitty had shouted. Some had migrated down to the girl's wing, seeking the truth and finding little more than they already had.

"So who is in charge?" Good question.

Ray nudged Bobby's shoulder. "I think you are Iceman, you and Amara."

"What?" The Nova Roman blinked. "ME?" She looked around. She didn't want to be in charge.

"Sure." Tabby looked at the equally surprised fellow students. "You're a New Mutant, and you've been here the longest of the girls. Rhaine and Jubes don't count- they took time off."

Bobby cleared his throat. "Yeah, ok. So... who wants to just crash in the library?" It was warm, and there were couches and chairs and space to lay out for people who could sleep on the floor.

The sun found them, piled together, surrounded by the comforting presence of the books they all knew, the pictures of their instructors and eachother, in the room that led to the Professor's study. They slept like sheep in winter, everyone touching at least two of their teammates. It wasn't love or lust, it was the need to know they weren't alone. They knew they could be safe here, as a team.

That was the sight that greeted Magnus when he returned and followed the sound of snoring.

_---nt_

Kurt fingered the medallions he wore. The St Philip Neri that Kitty had given him, the St Micheal from Rogue. He'd been praying most of the night. Remy tried to follow, clumsily- he'd lapsed long ago. He had taken off his normal gloves, trading them surgical ones in the same horrible blue that asked people not to shoot at EMTs and UN Peacekeepers. He could feel her pulse through the thin nitrile rubber, that is what mattered.

Kitty had fallen asleep in the chair between the beds, while Alex was sleeping in the doorway. As much as he wanted to hold Laura's hand, he was a little too scared to right now. He'd wake up when she did, and until then no one was getting in here without his permission. Even in his sleep, his hands glowed slightly.

At some point, Rogue awoke with a scream, trying to lash out. Remy grabbed one wrist, then the other- it was like wrestling with a kitten. He fully expected to get a kick in the head, and braced himself for it, but Rogue slumped. She looked up once her eyes could focus. "Ya' can le'go, Remy."

"Don' move, cherie. You scared us."

"How's Laura?" Rogue looked over at the small form. She looked peaceful. _Oh god. The things that were done..._

"She's sleeping. Cerbro says she's not in a coma." Kurt gestured to the terminal behind him. One of the things Cerebro factored into it's scans was brain activity, so it was able to do a detailed diagnostic of someone's brain function. "She responds if you pinch her, but she doesn't wake up, just pulls away from the pain. Ve think thats a gute thing."

"I almost couldn't stop her." Rogue sat up, turned so her feet dangled off the bed. "I'm so sorry, Laura, I had to do it."

"What set her off?" Rogue had woken up Alex. He stood near the foot of Laura's bed, looking at the monitors. He knew enough just from his conditioning for surfing to under stand about a tenth of what he could see.

"She was having a nightmare. She was reliving the night she met us, but she wasn't using those disk things. She was killing us. And I could hear her crying in the back of her dream, screaming at herself to stop. She was killing her family."

"Oh, petite..."

"It's my fault." Every head turned to Alex. "She asked me what it feels like to loose a family. I told her she'd have to experience it to really know."

"OK, like no one is blaming themselves for this." Kitty looked at him with pity. "You aren't to blame. Dani isn't to blame. Laura isn't to blame."

Kurt looked at the form of Wolverine's cub. He sighed deeply. "I vish someone vhas." There was a cold anger in his voice.

"Yeah. Den maybe...." Remy's voice was soft as his roommate's. For two young men with so little in common, they had become friends quickly once Gambit had come to the Institute after his hunt for Magnus. "Logan gotta be walkin da walls. We shoulda heard from dem by now."

Glances went around the room. Everyone thought someone else had been contact with the _Blackbird_.

Kitty squirmed towards the computer console. She signed into one of the machines in the server room, bringing all of the communications equipment under the control of this computer. On the roof, a directional aerial consulted a table in it's memory, then twisted about to locate a communications satellite. In seconds, she was in contact with the computers on _Blackbird._

"WHAT!" Hank's roar over loaded the tiny speaker, turning into a scream of reverberation. "I'll wake the Professor, can you send us her data for the past hour, then in one hour blocks back to the beginning."

A moment later, a howling wave of emotion made Beast's outburst look impotent and shameful. It was cut off sharply. The voice of Proffessor Xavier replaced the silence. "I hope this still works- yes, thank you Hank, make sure he's comfortable." There was timid tap on the speaker. "What is happening there? And tell me quickly and completely- I'd rather not have to stun Logan like that again."

_---nt_

Restricted from using maximum speed over land and over such a short range, the _Blackbird_ still only took a few hours to return. Scott, Jean, Storm and Hank had stayed behind with Jamie. There were oddities in the tornado's path as it seemed to pin point houses as it approached town, where it had cause extensive damage before it dissipated. As soon as they landed, a team of students was ready to begin refueling. As soon as it was ready, Magnus would take _Blackbird_ back to what as promising to be a mutant crime scene with Bobbie, Amara, and Roberto aboard. If it was an elementalist, they'd be needed, and they would be useful to the recovery efforts.

Before the Professor and Logan returned, things had gotten worse.

"Logan, you need to get to the infirmary." Kurt was standing in the hall, along with the others. They were clumped at the junction in the hallway that separated the Danger Room and the hanger from the infirmary and some of the store rooms. The only way out was the escape tunnel or through her. If she took the tunnel, the alarm would sound. "She voke up about twenty minutes ago and started screaming at us to leave her alone, that vhe had to run away, far away."

Charles nodded even as Logan left at a run. They'd agreed, only Logan should do this, at least for the first few moments. Laura needed her prototype, her father. The tension and fear had the junior instructors so wound up they'd only be in the way- debriefing them now might not be the gentlest, but it would keep them from thinking about other things for the next few minutes. If Laura panicked, he needed them aware and focused, not going into a self pitying funk now that it might be someone else's 'problem'. "Alright. What went right- quickly!"

Kitty flinched at the Professor's tone. "No one got hurt."

"No one panicked. Psylocke provided me with good backup." Betsy had been monitoring everyone's emotional levels- she and Flea were ready to try to intercept Laura if needed.

"Vhe logged everything." Kurt knew it was a weak attribute.

"Deh ol'er students took responsibility an' organized themselves."

"We protected her." Alex wasn't an instructor, but they hadn't let him out of their collective sight. They were afraid he might do something stupid without the rest of them.

"That is because you are X-men, but you also all love her. You will be there for her as much as she will allow." Which right now wasn't much. "And what went wrong."

"We didn't call you. Or an ambulance." Rogue was still nauseous from the memories.

"Yeah. And I didn't tell the guys much."

"Jah."

"Oui. We're all fired as teachers, right?" The New Mutants had organized themselves because their mentors had failed- Remy knew it. Still, the four of them could get in anywhere, that was always a marketable skill. Not theivin' or spyin' or killin'; search and rescue, maybe, or-

"No, you are not fired!" Charles closed his eyes for a moment. He shouldn't have snapped at them. There had been mistakes made, but that was because they hadn't anticipated something like this, even after Jean and Rogue's breakdowns. He was also trying to keep half a mind on what was happening down the hall. "Calling an ambulance would have raised more questions, as well you know. You properly used the tools you had. You should have called as soon as you had the situation stabilized; you all thought someone else had done it. We need to put something into the procedure about that, with a sign off." Charles frowned. "And you've highlighted a failure of planning on my part. We need more medical capabilities. We need a doctor here, a real one, not a few EMTs, most of them out of date"

"I'm just a student, but I think we all need a shrink. One from the outside." Alex kept looking at the floor. He felt useless, powerless. His girlfriend was freaking out and he was too scared to do anything but wait outside in the hall. He'd run away, and now she'd probably leave.

_---nt_

"Just where do you think you're going?" Logan had already seen the hole in the wall into the store room- that was new.

Laura looked up from the backpack she was filling. Her eyes were large and fearful. They darted towards the hatch that connected the infirmary to the escape tunnels. She'd already raided the field gear, grabbing what she couldn't make- a blanket, sewing kit, some good strong cord, a flint rod and a cook pot from the camping gear. Spool of wire. Clothes that fit, that had been outgrown or retired for other reasons. She'd move light and fast, living off the land. Another few seconds and she'd have been packed, going to her room only for her boots, but she could survive with bare feet if she had to. Part of her wanted to grab some photos and a few small things, but she didn't need them, she might lose them or have to abandon them; she'd carry her memories. She wasn't sure which way she'd go, but first she had to get out of here.

"Oh no you don't." Logan stepped into the room. He picked up the tightly rolled tarp she had on the bed as she lunged for it while one hand grabbed the pack's straps. "You run away from this, you'll never stop running. Maybe you'd stop when you found something big enough to hurt you, but maybe not."

"I'm dangerous. I have to go, to protect them. To protect everyone." She would never escape it, she knew that now. There had been a few small incidents. They should have told her what would happen. She was dangerous and broken, she couldn't be trusted and she couldn't be fixed. This time she was lucky, she hadn't killed anyone. Next time she malfunctioned it could be Betsy or Kitty or Rogue or Alex or the Professor and then Logan would have to kill her and he'd be broken and he'd have to be killed or he'd kill himself and... "Don't you get it!" She shoved him, trying to push him away physically. "I'm a weapon, a monster, and that is all I'll ever be! The only way for you to be safe is if I'm not here!"

"Hey." He reached out, pulling her roughly to his chest. He held onto her, tightly, feeling her squirm and fight. He wasn't going to let go, even if he felt her claws, he wasn't going to let her make his mistakes. He leaned down, pushing his weight onto her, until they were both kneeling. Her tears soaked his shirt as she screamed at him. "Shhhh.... shhhh.... I would come looking for you. Don't you ever forget it. I'm not going to just let you run away."

**---Author's notes:**  
There is a term, "weapons family", denoting a group of related weapons systems, either designed to work together and/or derived from an main model. They often have generations, showing significant revisions and enhancements to the overall design, changes in application, or materials improvements. The oldtimers, the Proff and Magnus, they were the first generation. Then came the first X-men, Storm and Hank, trained by the Proff. Scott and Jean; Kurt, Kitty, Rogue, Evan. Then the New Mutants, and finally, the new recruits are the latest series. The X-men _are_ a literal weapons family from a pragmatic enough point of view. Get enough gene samples, and someone dusting off the Weapon Plus program series could create a problem.

Before anyone grumbles ab out Alex's reaction, I'm not saying women need to be protected. Far from- growing up in my family, you find out that women can take care of themselves. But ladies, I have to say this- it is hard wired into our brains to protect the people we care about. The two things that make a guy perk up the most seeing the woman he loves smile because of something he did, and to know he's able to put himself between her and danger. Even if all that means is that we hold the umbrella in the rain or get cold because we gave you our jacket!. We can't change it, even if you can kick our butt sparing and outshoot us, this is as old as walking upright. Easier to get us to stop grunting and scratching ourselves.

Right now, Alex feels about a quarter inch tall. Been there kid, sucks lots, now pull your chin up and get moving; this is just a bruise, not a brand on your soul. Yer thinking all kinds of screwed up crap about yourself; prove yourself wrong.


	16. Chapter 16

**They Never Trained Me for This  
Chapter 16**

_---nt_

This was part of Logan's deal.

Nine days at the Institute. She'd meet with the Professor for two hours every day. They were going to bring her homework home- they would tell the school that Logan's Flu finally got her, everyone else had had it. Then a week in the desert during spring break. If she truly felt she did not belong, she could leave then. He would go with her. No one would follow.

The Professor said she could stay in the infirmary, until she felt comfortable being with others. One the third day after her... episode, she felt she could go upstairs, so long as no one saw her. She suspected the instructors had cleared the halls, but this was a time where all but a few people would be at school. She could hear the quiet ticking of Kitty's keyboard down the when she was in the basement; she'd heard this morning's training group enter and leave.

"Good morning, Laura." The Prof took a drink of his tea cup. He gave her a few moments to select a muffin and some fruit. As near as he knew, she was only eating during breakfast. "You look better than you have been, did you get some sleep last night?"

"A few hours, Professor."

"I don't want to pry, but may I ask where?" Logan had woken everyone up when he'd done his round- she hadn't been downstairs, but they hadn't found any signs she'd left. The telepaths had confirmed she was in the building, but that was all- he had specified that she _not_ be pin pointed if she was in the mansion. She had to know she wasn't a prisoner.

She looked down at the orange juice in her hands, staring into it like it was a crystal ball. She didn't look up when she answered in an embarrassed voice. "You don't know already?"

"No Laura, your mind is yours. I will only enter it if I have permission or there is an emergency." He had to fight the urge to send an empathic urging for peace and relaxation to her. He always did when a student was also a patient.

"I was in the laundry. Behind the hampers." It had been quiet, and cool, and dark. There was only one way in, and there were many pipes and machines to hide behind. The door could be locked from the outside. And the laundry hadn't been done yet for the week. She could smell everyone.

"Did you dream?"

"No." It was too fast. She glanced up at him, then looked away. She knew he knew she'd just lied to him. She'd never lied to the Professor before.

"OK."

"I'm just not sure I should be here."

"You may leave if you wish, but you promised Logan you'd give yourself a chance. Would you break your word?" In teaching Laura to control her rage, one of the things she had attached herself to was honor. If she would break her word to Logan, they could be looking at a longer recovery than he'd feared. That's she'd been willing to run away and abandon her plants had been concerning, but this was much worse.

_---nt_

"I'm sorry, Alex, she still wants to be left alone." The Professor's voice was weary. He'd let Rogue stay in the infirmary for as long as was needed, and would have done the same for Jean if she hadn't taken the roof off the room during her time there. "But she did want me to thank you for Ursa."

Alex was sitting in the corner of the library. He nodded. The leather jacketed polar bear had been a Christmas gift from him when he found out she'd never had a teddy bear or any other stuffed animals, even before they were had kissed or started dating. Kitty had mentioned it in passing this morning that the nightmares had stopped for a while afterwards, that Laura had had been able to sleep through the night other than to join Logan in his paranoia round around 3am. He'd asked if anyone had given her the bear this morning.

Her night terror had been three nights ago, and he hadn't seen her since she physically threw him from the infirmary, shrieking that he was in danger and had to run away. He'd never heard her scream like that, her voice filled with panic and fear. He hadn't thought she felt those things. "Professor, has she been having nightmares still?"

"You know I can't tell you that. I'm sorry." She was his patient. Charles could discuss it with Logan, since she was a minor, but that was it.

_---nt_

"What if I leave? Logan said he'd go with me." She wished he wouldn't. She could survive on her own, she'd crossed the continent her own and returned.

Professor Xavier sighed. He'd wondered that himself. It wasn't that there was one thing that Logan did that someone else didn't. "From a purely functional perspective, we could survive. Creed might try to attack here to draw you two out of where ever you will be, but he can be managed."

Laura hadn't thought of that. Yes, keeping Logan here was a danger, but without him the danger wouldn't go away. "So you don't need him."

"I did _not_ say that." The Professor's lips tightened. He was reasonably sure that was the answer she wanted to hear. "He would be missed: he is a founding member of the Xavier Institute faculty and even if he doesn't like to admit it, in some ways one of the earliest students. And he is my friend. The friend and even surrogate sibling or uncle for many here."

"I'd be taking him away, forcing him to make a choice between two things he's devoted to. I'd be splitting his loyalty." Thinking of it that way, she knew she was being selfish with her urge to run. Maybe it would be best to break her word and leave without him. Then he could be happy and the others would be safe.

"I hope you don't feel this is a criticism, but yes, you would be asking him to leave part of his heart behind. Laura, he loves you as much as he does this place."

"Tell me Laura, would you die to protect the people you are afraid of hurting. Would you place yourself between them and a danger, even if means you would die."

"Yes." What was why she was willing to leave. She liked her life here, even it wasn't for very long. If she lived as long as she expected to, she'd wouldn't forget her friends. And forever seemed like it would last a very long time. "Of course. I will always protect them."

Charles leaned forward, elbows on his desk. "And you know they would, as well."

Laura growled. Two weeks ago she'd lectured Alex for taking a shot that was meant for her in the Danger Room. If it had been a real bullet, not a paintball, she would have still had a minute, almost a minute and a half of acceptable capability to accomplish her part of the mission they'd been assigned to before her performance degraded. She'd have been effective longer if she'd had a chance to slap on the duct tape she carried in her jacket. Then her body would have repaired the damage in a few hours. She could deal with a sucking chest wound, she'd had one before. But Alex couldn't. The paint splotch ended up over his heart, he'd have been dead instantly. The symbolism was lost on no one, but she'd still yelled at him in front of everyone. Then kissed him in front of everyone. She wasn't sure why she had, she was mad at him. He'd been stupid. He could have died and it would have been her fault. At least she felt like it should be her fault.

Even if had been a statement, she grudgingly answered the question. "Yes."

_---nt_

"Professor, you can't cancel the Spring Break trip- especially not after everything that's happened."

That was the whole reason he wanted to cancel the trip. Scott and Ororo had reported that they were getting closer to the mutant or mutants responsible for the tornadoes that had been hitting the Midwest every thirty eight hours since Jamie's parent's had died. They knew now that it was an attempt to kill Multiple, but just the misfortune of his family to be there. And the nightmares. Laura had been the first one and the worst by a lot, but she wasn't he only one. "What would you rather we do, Kitty? Pretend that it isn't happening?."

"No, but maybe we all need to get out of the Mansion. Get away from being X-men."

"She's right, Profess'r. Everyone's getting' worn fine roun' da edges. Either let the kids get it outta der systems or let 'em go to Kansas."

"And do what, Remy? We have enough people there, and our risk of exposure is already very high." With half the X-men and quite a few of the New Mutants already hunting for the killer, he was concerned that the media would soon start putting the pieces together. They needed a mutant hunt right now about as much as they needed Apocalypse to return. Less than two years in the State Assembly, and Kelly was already making a run for Washington. There were enough xenophobes to get him there, to. And his Friends of Humanity group was very strong in the heartland.

But just last night, he'd watched Ray and Sam almost get into a fight. That those two friends would fight was a sign that Remy was right, they were all being worn thin.

Given everything that had been happening and missing people, the younger students had moved further up the table, towards the end were the instructors, the X-men, usually sat. "Professor Xavier?" Dani Moonstar's voice was soft. "If we have to stay, I'd like to smudge the Mansion." She glanced about. She knew that many still found her belief's odd, but the house felt like it needed to be spiritually fumigated. Just this morning, she'd found a broom across the front doorway. It was something intentional, almost ritual in how it was placed. And Betsy had taken to sleeping with a wooden sword. "It feels like something is in here with us."

Charles Xavier looked down into his tea cup. There were no leaves, and he didn't believe they could be read anyway. But if Mirage, their young mistress of fear, was scared, then maybe it was time for them to get away. Besides, they wouldn't be able to get a refund, not with less than two week's notice unless there was a hurricane. "Very well. Spring break will go ahead as planned."

_---nt_

Laura ducked back around the corner, pressing herself to the wall. She didn't want to be seen, she wanted to be invisible, what was Kitty doing in the hall?

Shadowcat was sitting on the top of the stepladder, unbolting a small box from the wall when she'd seen the flicker of moment. She hadn't realize it was time of Laura's session, or she would have waited to replace this access point. Running wouldn't help. "Hey! We've missed you." She phased through the ladder to the floor. "Laura, it's ok."

"You aren't mad at me?"

"Why should I be? Like, you should have seen some of Logan's freak outs; he almost killed me once." Kitty slid down the wall until she was sitting against it. "You had a bad one, but it doesn't change anything."

Laura felt a flush of anger. "Rogue told you!"

"Not much." Kitty sighed. "Laura, I'm not just your friend, I'm your teacher to. I know all kinds of things about the other students, and I'm not telling it to anyone who doesn't have a need to know. All I know is you were killing us in your dream, and if you'd seen Rogue's mattress, it was pretty obvious."

"Rogue's mattress?" Laura had a sudden stabbing pain in her chest. She couldn't have done that. No, not that.

"Yeah. If you hadn't been screaming in your sleep first, she'd have been dead."

"oh" Laura hadn't known that. She had the urge to run again. She still had the pack she'd put together, refined. She'd been fidgeting by repacking it, and now she had her boots and her clothes down here. She'd leave Ursa for Alex. She took a step back.

"Hey! Come here. Please Laura, come here." Kitty stayed seated, holding out her hands. "Please. You can't hurt me, I trust you."

"But-"

"No buts. You can even try to hit me." Kitty slid up the wall as she stood, still holding her hands out.

"That would be pointless, you could phase out of the way." Laura's arms were crossed. Her fists were balled and tucked under arms at an angle that would keep her claws from releasing. She didn't step closer, but she wasn't backing up any more. She held her ground as Kitty stepped closer. She wasn't afraid of Kitty. She wasn't. She was in control of herself. She wouldn't hurt Kitty. "Kitty? Please, don't get too close."

Ms Pryde stopped about five feet from her student. Kitty was still holding out her hands to her friend. "Come on. Touch me, just for a second."

"Why?"

"So you'll see I'm not going to die. You are harder to hurt than most of us, but all X-men are pretty tough." Kitty took a half step. "Please." Laura reached out a hand, keeping her wrist bent. It hurt, but it was safe. She felt her fingers touch Kitty's hand. "Thats it. See, I'm not dead." She stepped closer, until they were almost touching, taking Laura's shoulders in her hands. The young warrior was tense, every muscle ready to move. "Not even a flesh wound."

Laura had been introduced to Monty Python, she got to reference. It wasn't funny. She could still see Kitty in her mattress.

"Ah, there you are Laura. Kitty, are you giving up on that access point?" Charles had no idea what it was other than a magic box that kept the wireless network working and that Kitty had been saying for a week this one was misbehaving and she couldn't just fix it.

_Sorry Professor, she surprised me, I thought she'd already gone upstairs._

_It is ok, Kitty. I don't think any harm has been done._

"I'm sorry Professor. I was not avoiding our time." Laura slipped away from Kitty, nervous and afraid. She'd been waiting for a traitorous part of her mind to highlite the targets that Kitty was presenting as she moved, got closer. She'd clenched the muscles that control her claws, refusing to let them pop. "Tell Rogue I'm sorry, if she'll forgive me."

"She misses you. So do Kurt and Remy. When you are ready, you know where we are."

She was quiet as they took the elevator and walked to the Professor's study. She sat in the center of the oversized chair, her posture perfect, and glared. "You should have told me Rogue was almost killed!"

"She is unharmed. And she isn't bothered by what could have been- she knows that you were not in control of yourself."

That didn't change it. Just because someone was willing to forgive didn't mean it hadn't been wrong.

"Logan almost killed two of the X-men once. Something from his past was controlling him. He tried to run away, he was aware of something being wrong with him so he tried to hide. To protect us." Not for the first time, the thought _like father like daughter_ ran through Xavier's head.

She was quiet for a while, the glare softening then slipping away into a contemplative frown. "Kitty told me some of it."

"Kitty and Kurt, nearly untrained and not knowing where they were, survived a fight with two of the Weapon X's programs most... 'complete' products- Sabertooth and Wolverine."

"They fought Weapon X? And survived?" She hadn't known that. X-23 hadn't known that. That they could fight Weapon X and Sabertooth and survive meant that they might have beaten X-23.

_---nt_

"I really just want to get her away from people, just the two of us." Logan was looking into the flames of the fake fireplace in the library. "She's never been to a desert."

"Normally, I'd be willing to let you take _Velocity_, but _Blackbird_ is still in Kansas. As it is, I'm going to have Kurt and Remy fly out to California to get the new jet Friday." It was two weeks early, but the builders had had enough time to test it. He suspected they just liked having it in their hanger.

"Gambit? Yeah, he's checked out on the old one, the controls are supposed to be close enough." Wolverine rested his chin on his fists for a moment. "Do you think she could keep it together well enough to fly."

"Logan, her fear isn't about being awake. It's about being asleep." Charles Xavier looked into the flames for a moment, wondering what his friend saw in them. He'd never seen anything other than a flame. "She doesn't use caffeine to any great degree, and despite being in the infirmary she hasn't raided the pharmaceuticals to stay awake. I should think it would be possible to keep her awake for the flight with some of the more basic stimulants. What are you thinking?"

"_Blackbird-2_ has a rear cargo ramp. It's safe to jump from."

"But you two jumped last fall from the _Blackbird._"

"Yeah. Not a good idea for most people." He'd been clipped by the wing. If Scott hadn't been very good, they'd be short an aircraft and some X-Men. If he needed a reminder as to why you never exit a moving aircraft in front of the wing he'd had it. "If you can port or phase, you're fine- everyone else, it's likely to kill someone."

Their quiet was suddenly broken by a shout from down the hall. Boy's wing. That almost sounded like Remy. Tonight's nightmare victim. Danielle was jumping at shadows, she was becoming convinced she wasn't in control of her powers, no matter what the Professor or Betsy said. "Logan, I'm starting to think Dani was right- there might be something in here with us."

_---nt_

"Professor?" Laura crouched by his bed. "Professor?"

Charles rolled over in bed, eyes opening quickly. "Laura, what are you doing here? Is something wrong? What time is it?"

"Oh-two-thirty-four. I'm sorry, I can come back later."

"No, no, I'm awake." Charles Xavier pulled the sheet up over his bare chest, hiding the scars. "Did you knock?" As he got older, he found it was harder to wake up.

"No. I'm sorry." Her voice was soft. "I lied to you the other morning. I did dream that night, in the laundry."

"I know. Did you want to tell me about it?" He knew she'd dreamed after Rogue had knocked her out, the electroencephalogram had shown continuous dream activity right up until she woke up. She'd been out, but her mind had been very active, almost alarmingly so. The only reason he was merely alarmed is that Logan had the same trait. Most people didn't dream for five hours straight; he didn't know if anyone knew it was a sign of madness or a kind of utter sanity.

"I was fighting her again." Laura closed her eyes, tilting her head up. For someone who's body language was sometimes as animal as it was human, to bare her throat like that was probably a sign of total trust. Most people would have been looking for the divine, but not Laura.

"Who, and when did you first fight her."

"Professor, it's hard to explain, I don't know if english has the words for it." He nodded, giving her time. She sighed. "That night, during the nightmare, I know Rogue and Betsy saw some of it."

"Yes, they say you were killing us." Charles willed himself not to shiver. He still woke up himself some nights, thinking about how differently his first meeting with her could have gone.

She drew a ragged breath, her voice strained. "Yes. And no. I was telling her to stop. She was too strong, I couldn't stop, I couldn't even speak at first. X-23 taken take over. She murdered everyone."

"But it wasn't you."

"I didn't stop her, couldn't stop her. I talked to her, I cried, and begged. I was pathetic, powerless. I was weak. All I could do was scream when she..." X-23 had mutilated Alex. His death had been slow, painful. It was not a good death, it wasn't how she'd been trained- it wasn't a professional kill, it wasn't the act of animal. X-23 had toyed with him, used him while she waited for Logan. X-23 had taken pleasure, emotional and physical from killing him. Remembering it, Laura wanted to vomit. She swallowed hard. "I let her kill Alex."

There was a tidal wave of emotion coming off the young woman. Her control was very good, but even still, images slipped past, swirling to the surface. Charles steeled himself before the waves of self hate and guilt emanating from her, like a man braving a hurricane's wind- he couldn't not see them, she was thinking too loud, her mind and soul were screaming. Once he had his balance, he sent tendrils of reassurance through the school, especially to the telepaths and empaths.

"Then Logan got home. X-23 threw something at him, to make him angry, to make him lose his control."

"Do you know what that was, Laura?"

"One of the deployment bags." These were wheeled duffles big enough for her to fit into. They used them to pack scuba and parachuting gear if they were going to a class, or to put a week of street clothes and uniforms and everything else they'd needed for a long mission. The voice that had been cracking broke. She started to sob. "She put your heads in it. All of you, she had cut off your heads and threw them at Logan. X-23 knew he'd break if you were all dead. And he did. She destroyed his mind. Then she killed him."

Her head was down on the edge of the mattress while she cried. "I killed all of you, and I couldn't stop X-23 until you were all dead. I had to let me kill all of you before I could even have a body in the dream."

In the dream, she'd been inside and outside of X-23, she'd been in many places. She'd watched Kitty and Kurt die from a dozen angles. She tried to catch Rogue's body as it fell. But she didn't exist until they were all dead. X-23 hadn't allowed Laura to be a person until everything she cared about was destroyed. Or maybe that was what it had taken to give Laura physical form, maybe she hadn't cared enough to be solid and real until that point. She'd flowed up from the floor like a fog rising, but forming into Laura rather than being burned off by sunlight. The Laura fog had flowed from their bodies, the corpses evaporating and forming into her, into Laura.

"And once you had a body?" Charles stroked her back; he'd talked with Logan and her friends about what might help calm her down. "Were you there with X-23."

"Yes. She was furious, irrational. Stronger and faster than she should be, but mindless. She was foaming at the mouth with her rage, as if she was rabid." The sobs had passed into whimpers. "I almost couldn't do it."

"Couldn't do what?"

"Beat her. I was scared and ashamed. Everything that I've learned here is to protect. Laura is a guardian, and Laura had failed. She'd cut out my heart or take off an arm or a leg, and it grew back in seconds. I never let her cut my head off, I think she would have won if I had. We were everywhere. Here, HYDRA bases we'd destroyed, SHEILD facilities we'd raided, school, the Weapon X lab, forests, cities. We fought for days, I don't know how many."

Xavier had no doubt she had experienced days of subjective time. Most people only dream for a few minutes at a time, almost never more than hour. "But you did beat her, didn't you. And I'm glad you did."

"I finally cut off her head. But it started growing back, and her head was growing a body. I knew I couldn't beat two of her, so..." Her eyes were crimson when she looked up. "I brought her back to the Institute, and set off the self destruct." In her dream, she'd held the two partially completed X-23s, an arm around each of them. She'd stroked their hair, told them they were ok, they would be better soon. The were starting to get up when they destruct fired.

Charles couldn't stop it. He shuddered. To beat her shadow side, Laura had had to kill herself and destroy what was left of her world. "Was that the other night, or the first night. Or did you have the same dream in the laundry?"

"The night int he laundry was different." They'd been in her dream with her. All of the mutants. She knew it was because could smell them, that was why they'd appeared. She had tried to put them back together, trying to make their broken bodies whole again. They hadn't been angry with her. They'd tried to help, talking to her as she sorted them out, pieced them back together. But they kept falling apart. "I couldn't fix what X-23 had done." She eased back from the bed, until she was sitting on the floor.

"No, you cannot undo your past. I could block your memories if you asked, but I do not recommend it. Such tampering is often impermanent and accompanied by the loss of other knowledge." They'd talked about this. That he was making the offer again...

"No Professor. I should keep them." If for no other reason that she hated it when she didn't have the experience to understand what someone was talking about. "I'm sorry I woke you up."

"That's ok, Laura. Shall we consider this part of today's session?"

"Maybe. I might want to talk more." She uncoiled from where she sat. "Thank you for putting up with me, I'll let you go back to sleep." She stepped lightly to the doorway, slipping through.

She was slinking silently down the stairs when she heard a footstep. "Logan, you're early." He's usually started his middle of the night round an hour or so from now. "Did you hear any of that?"

He nodded, his bare feet slipping over the carpeted steps. "Most of it." He raised his hand slowly, experimentally to see if she'd pull away, before he cupped the side of her head, scratching softly behind her ear. His boots were in his other hand. "Want to take the round with me?" When she'd first come to the Institute, she'd walked the campus with him every night. Even though it had tapered off, she was still waking up four or five nights a week to walk with him. "We can talk if you want? Or not."

**_---_Author's notes:**  
So, first up: to be continued in **Spring Break**. After that, we'll probably be back to Never Trained, but since it is covering so much ground and isn't all Laura-centric, it's going to be out on it its own.

Sorry for the delay. I was trying to turn this and the next chapter into one and producing garbage. So I had to split them and add material to make them decent. Working out Laura's nightmare in detail wasn't fun, I really didn't like being in her head for that.

And I've seen nightmares become contagious like this. Creepy as hell. Dont' know what it was, and I'm not ruling out anything. Not even the paranormal, there was a lot of weird in that dorm. Not normal engineering college weird either.

Yeah, jumping from the first _Blackbird_ would be insane. You'd get hit by the wing or eaten by the engine. That contradiction is the entire reason why _Blackbird-2_ is being made, hard lessons learned. And somehow, Laura turned into a freefall nut. She would have been trained by HYDRA. It might have been the only time she could laugh without being punished. Those few minutes were her only chance to be free outside of her own mind. So... Rather than just ignoring basic jump rules or renting some crappy little turboprop if they need to jump into a mission, some money is being spent and they are getting a lot of capability.

Oh, and the 100th poster gets something special- a preview of an upcoming piece.


	17. Chapter 17

**They Never Trained Me For This**

**Chapter 17**

So, did everyone read **Spring Break**? If you didn't, you really should. It is everything that happened between this and the previous chapter. If you don't go read it, I will be a very, very grumpy author. I might even ask Dholefire if her attack turtle is willing to take contracts.

Warning: There will be some heavy duty language.

_---nt_

It was normal for her to be up a tree, particular the oaks and the maples. They put her above those on the ground. Most people looked around, or down, when they walked. Only those used to the habits of large felines, like jaguars, looked up, so it could hide her in plain sight. But mostly, it just gave her privacy. Half of the people she cared about in this world shared a bathroom with her, and most of the other half were in the other wing. But there were times where she just didn't want to see, or hear, or smell them at least for a few minutes. Most of the time, she was alone up here.

Not this evening, after dinner. Kurt was on the other side of the tree trunk. His tail lashed the air in agitation. He hadn't said what was wrong when he bamfed onto the branch, just a wave with his fingers and nod. She hadn't said anything- this was a good thinking tree. He'd talk when he was ready, or she'd leave first. Besides, the tree listened, even if hadn't fully woken up yet. She didn't think it was a spring tree, more an early summer tree, it had been on of the last to have it's leaves turn last fall.

"It isn't right."

Laura settled in. He sounded angry, and Kurt was rarely really angry. He was the one usually laughing and trying to make everyone around him smile. "What isn't right?"

"Tabitha und Bobby und the others are going to Magneto for help with German. I'm teaching the class." The angrier he was, the harder it was for him to keep from slipping into German.

"People ask me for help with French." Now that class was a mess- it was being taught by a French Canadian at the High School, and at the Institute they had people who spoke several different kinds of French- least all the German speakers spoke German German. There were some dialect differences, but nothing major.

"But... Not the same."

She sighed. She considered Kurt a friend, part of her family. And she liked Magnus. She didn't understand why she was accepted, and he was still an outsider as far as the instructors went. Yes, she knew about the attempt to force them to evolve, but Alex had told her that the "brain washing" were no worse than coming out of surgical anesthesia. She could understand the logic he'd used- there is a threat to his people, so eliminate the threat. It was a good, instinctive course of action; even if she'd learned that it wasn't always the best way it was always her first impulse to.

She'd wondered once or twice if she might have joined the Brotherhood or become an Acolyte if she'd run from HYDRA and encountered Magnus first, before she'd learned about Logan. Remy had laughed when she'd mentioned it to him, and told her that she'd probably have spent most of her time fighting with Sabertooth. .

She didn't doubt that X-23 would have killed Sabertooth.

"Why isn't it the same? "

"Because. You aren't Magneto, thats all. You didn't know there was another way."

She was really starting get to annoyed by this conversation. She'd had it with a lot of people, and she still didn't understand the distinction. She'd killed more people than Magnus had. "All right. Come with me."

"Vhere?"

"You are going to talk to Magnus. Now."

"Vhat? Laura, I am not talking to that madman."

"He isn't mad. He's sad and alone and old. You showed pity on him once." He muttered about it having been a mistake. "Have you asked him for his side of the story?" With a snort, she hopped down. She started walking towards the mansion, ignoring his protests.

---_nt_

Kurt was leaning against the wall, his tail slapping at the plaster. They were alone when Magnus entered the hall way. "Hello, Kurt. Laura said you wanted to talk to me?"

No, he didn't, not really. But Laura could be as convincing as her father.

"Rogue saw the night I was thrown in the river. In my mother's mind. You were experimenting on me." His voice was bitter. "Laura thinks we don't know the truth. Tell me."

"Kurt, I wish you'd asked me that a long time ago. " The demand made him look old, ancient. Lines and creases appeared his face. "I didn't know how to tell you the truth."

"Jah? Und was es das?"

"I wasn't experimenting on you. I was trying to determine _who_ you are. I had started with a genetic test- they were much more primitive in those days. I wasn't even sure you were a mutant, or a demon, or maybe an alien. Or my son." Magnus seemed to age as he said the last phrase.

"Vhat? Scheisse. Vhy should I believe du?" It wasn't the familiar, friendly 'du', it was scorning, insulting.

"Maybe you shouldn't. But you could ask someone bridge our minds. So you could see my memories. Kurt, you only have those that Rogue got from Mystique, and that woman's greatest skill is lieing to herself. I should know- I loved her deeply, even after you were born." Magnus turned and started to walk away.

"I'm not done with this."

"And I'm not done with our conversation either, but we will attract an audience if we talk in the hallway. We should retire to a private room. Or are you afraid to be alone with an old man?" Magnus stepped into his bedroom, leaving the door open behind him as he sat on the bed. He wasn't surprised when the door slammed behind the bluefurred young man.

"You'd let me into your head?"

"With the help of the Professor, or Jean, yes. All you have to do is ask. I'd also allow your sister to look."

"Vhy?"

"Becuase I'd rather you didn't hate me for something I didn't do. If I must be hated, I'd rather be hated for something I did. I don't remember you being so angry at me before, in Libya." Magnus lay back on the bed, eyes closed. "Do you pray, Kurt? Not for little things , but for something that would change you world, utterly and totally? Like love, purely and truely given."

"Natürlich." The last word came out as a growl. German was a good language to growl in. If Magnus was going to bring Kitty into this....

"Then look on the dresser, by the door. There is a pair of gloves, look under them."

Dubiously, Kurt flicked the leather gloves back with his tail, and frowned. Something glittered on a bed of red fabric. "Is this..."

"A glass knife? Sharp and pointed and long enough to reach the heart, made of something I can't control? By the door, were anyone could put on the gloves, and then stab me in my sleep? The door who's hinges I oil?"

"Gott in Himmel." Kurt crossed himself. The object had been decorative, colored swirls in the clear crystal glass, but now it was something vile and horrible. "Vhy?"

"Because I pray for forgiveness, and to be trusted." Magnus was quiet for a moment. "I trust you, all of you, to do what you feel is right. Pietro, Wanda, they might use that knife. Your mother would."

Kurt looked around the room. He hadn't even looked through the door since the New Year. He'd tried to forget that this room was even in the Mansion. In the closet hung a few suits, and several sets of training fatigues. On the shelf was the now blue armour, but the helmet was conspicuously absent.

There was almost nothing metal in the room. It was almost as if Magnus had created a space where he would be defenseless.

No, he had just that. It hadn't been an accident.

Kurt looked at the dagger again, and shuttered. "You said you loved my mother."

"Yes, I did. And I loved Magda, Wanda and Pietro's mother, my wife." There was a rueful laugh. "Your mother has a gift for complicating people's lives. Tell me Kurt, if I had been your father, what would you do? Right now."

There was a bamf, and a puff of sulfur smoke.

---_nt_

"Kurt, KNOCK!" "KURT!" "Hi Kurt." At least when he went barging into one room, he'd be welcomed. His sister would be annoyed, but it was as much show as anything real. His girlfriend would be a little annoyed, and it was all show. And their roommate wouldn't be phased. In other words, normal, which wasn't where he'd been. These three wouldn't ask him to stab them.

He curled himself into the chair, wrapping his tail around himself. Magnus had been being honest, that was the worst part. It wasn't sane, it was like he was pleading guilty with the headsman in the same room. He knew the three were looking at him. "I just spoke to Magnus."

That got their attention. Kurt never called him _Magnus_, the man was still _Magneto_ to their elf.

"What'd he tell ya? We both know what the old buzzard isn't always the most trustworthy." This was one of the few places where Rogue and Remy could really argue. She'd seen what he'd done to Kurt, it was crystal clear in Mystique's mind.

"You know mother loved Magnus, don't you? That he thought I might be his son?"

"WHAT? Kurt, he's missing with ya head."

"No, Rogue, I can see it. Mystique manipulates people- you should know that." Kitty slid into the chair next to him, hugging him. "And the X-gene does funny things to people." She kissed his temple gently, before pulling his head down against her shoulder. Her fingers scratched behind his ear. "So what do you think you are doing next?"

"He offered to let the Professor or Jean probe his mind. And Rogue could vatch with me."

"Why not one of the other telepaths?"

"Security. He probably knows things most people don't want to." Laura spoke quietly. "And experience. It is harder to lie to the Professor than to Betsy."

Rogue snorted, conceding the point. "So, yah gonna do it? If so, someone should be along to keep it honest."

"What if mother's memories weren't what really happened?" He pressed his head gently against Kitty's fingers, taking peace from her touch. "He... A guilty man would not offer such a thing, vould he?"

"Why do think he's innocent?"

Kurt explained about the glass knife.

"Wow, maybe he is serious. That is like really serious."

"No kidding." Rogue leaned back, looking at her adopted brother contemplatively. "If yah do this, brother-mine, an' you want me there, then I'll come." The terms 'sister-mine' and 'brother-mine' were ones they didn't use often. Kurt was much more likely to call Rogue sister; if she was calling him brother, then she was being as serious as a death sentence.

"I think I do, and I think I want you there."

_---nt_

Charles Xavier knocked on the open door frame. "Magnus, may we talk?"

"Always, come in." Magnus smiled, closing the text book. "Roberto, I think you might find that the answer you are looking for may be related to the functions and effects of copper indium gallium _(di)selenide_ on photocells as opposed to _sulfide_ in photo cells."

"Thanks Magnus; night Professor."

"Good night Roberto- you will find Jamie and Rhaine studying on the catwalk in the hanger if you are looking for them. Could you get the door."

Roberto swallowed. This couldn't be good. He was waiting for fall out from Magnus and Cyclops' personality conflict. He shut the door behind him. As much as he wanted to hang out with his roommate and girlfriend, he really wanted to look into this information from Magnus.

Magnus sat there for a while, waiting for Charles. "You are the telepath, old friend. Do I need to pack?"

"What? No! Magnus, you know me better than that. Why would I ask you to leave?" Erik Magnus Lehnsherr was one of his oldest surviving friends. This was the one person he could be completely honest with, they didn't have to wear masks or hide annoyance at one another. If Charles was having a bad day, or a bad month, he could snarl around Magnus and only Magnus.

There was a lot they could have to talk about. Even when they weren't friendly, they had trusted each other. Though Magnus had returned to the Institute almost five months ago, there was over 20 years of separation they hadn't really discussed. Prior to the past New Year, the last time Erik and Charles had been together peacefully was at Magda's funeral. That afternoon, Erik had abandoned his children, one in a mental ward, the other with his sister-in-law's family. His last act as Erik Lehnsherr had been to leave an envelope in the mailbox not two hundred yards from where they sat, containing all of his identity papers, and a letter to Charles asking him to keep an eye on Wanda. No longer thinking of himself as Erik nor as Magneto, Magnus waited for Charles to collect his thoughts.

"Kurt and Rogue just came to me with an odd request." He frowned slightly. "I will do this, but I want you to tell me what I will find first."

Magnus nodded. "Of course, of course. This will take some time."

---_nt_

The next evening, the Professor asked Jean if she and Betsy could run an errand for him; it was make work, but it would take several hours. That removed the only other two telepaths from the immediate area. He made less of attempt to conceal the order to find someplace else to be when he gave it to Remy and Kitty. With their significant others undergoing telepathic therapy, it would be best if they were out from underfoot. They gathered up some of the students and went to a movie, one that neither one of them really watched.

"Kurt, Rogue, before we begin, understand that what you see is from Magnus' memory; you feel what he felt. You will not be able to change what you are seeing, even if it feels like you can act. He will not be able to hear you, but I will- if at anytime either of you wishes to leave, tell me you want out and I will end the session."

"Jah."

"Ah'm ready." Wasn't like it was the first time.

"Magnus, you may remember things that you've hidden from yourself, or that might simply be very painful to remember."

"I know Charles. I am ready to begin."

It took about a minute for the Professor to find a connection to each of them sufficiently strong enough to them experience everything as it had happened.

_---nt_

As he waited for the flight to Belgium and then to New York, Erik thought about the beautiful woman who had come to work with him. Raven Darkholme was also quite intelligent. Not on the level of him, or Xavier, or their noble landlord and employer, but certainly smarter than many a university department head. That she was also a mutant gave them another connection. She hadn't seduced him, it had just happened.

That first night had involved him missing Magda, the success of their latest prototype, and strong wine from the Sabbat vineyard in the shadow of the Castle. The next morning, he swore it wouldn't happen again. He had remained true to his wife for a week. It had become a more frequent thing. A more frequent thing lasting for three years now. _How can I do this? _

"You are quieter than normal, my friend."

"It is nothing, Victor, I'm just wondering how the research will progress without us there."

The large gypsy laughed. "Do not worry. You have been away from your charming wife for too long. The war between East and West will come in due time, but already my nation is preparing itself to survive the outside world's madness. Thanks to you." He took a swallow from his tumbler of fiery slivovitz like it was water. "As you know, I travel to New York to speak with the leadership of the UN. Perhaps we can keep it from happening, so we only have to fear one war. Your war."

This was the prize that had attracted Erik. The current Baron would not live forever. Then Victor would assume the throne. With Erik and Raven's assistance, and the support of a Roma population swollen by persecution and prejudice in Romania and Yugoslavia, there would no chance the Baron's bastard sons would be able to compete with their adopted brother. Victor promised that when that day came to pass, the unseen outcasts of this suffering Earth, the mutants and the magic users, would have a safe haven. Then, this tiny, neutral nation would be able to withstand anything, including the inevitable culmination of the mutual madness that drove America and the Soviet Union.

Erik kissed the ring on his finger. Yes, he loved Magda. She wanted children. When things were further along, he would ask her to come with him to land of safety. His parents had been trying to come here when they had been found by the SS; almost forty years later, he still felt in his deepest beliefs that this was his true safe haven. Then he'd try to convince Charles. Erik looked at his glass- there was enough plum brandy left for a toast. He picked it up, raising it. "To security, and peace on Earth."

"Peace on Earth, starting here in Latveria." Victor von Doom raised his glass and threw back. "Perhaps we may avoid _both_ our wars."

_---nt_

"Erik, welcome home!" Magda was waiting in the terminal for him. She threw her arms around him, pressing her cheek to his shoulder.

The very sight of her drove Raven from his mind. He bowed his head, breathing in the scent of her hair. "I love you. I'm sorry I have to be away, I love you so much."

He could feel her smile. "It's ok, Erik. I know you would not be gone so long if your work wasn't so important." She looked up at him. "You and your old friends, the work you do, you do it to make the world better, safer for our children."

He startled. "Our children? How, when?" She would have told him if she was pregnant, they spoke every week on the phone. He looked at her, eyes wide. His hands dropped to hold her by the waist. "What?"

She laughed at him. She knew how old he really was, what he really was. That was how they'd met, he'd saved her life. She silenced the nightmares in his head. The Holocaust and his time in Israel had given him a phobia of normal people. She'd helped pull him from his shell, he almost seemed to have become younger. "They aren't here yet. Because you haven't been helping me make them."

_---nt_

"Erik, you have called in sick twice, but I have been told you were here yesterday, to." Victor seated himself next to his friend and fellow weapons designer. As was his habit when inside of Latveria, he was armed; he drew the stubby H&K machine pistol from it's holster, setting it on the table to the right of the glass of slivovitz that had appeared. The local bartenders were familiar with the habits of this nobleman- don't complain about the gun, and bring him a tumbler of the clear, colorless potion he preferred. Otherwise you might not have an establishment. "What is wrong?"

"Sunday afternoon, I talked with Magda. She's pregnant."

"CONGRATULATIONS!" Victor wrapped Erik into a bear hug, pounding his back heartily. "You should be celebrating, not... how do you say, mopping?"

"Moping." He drank from his glass. "Sunday night, Raven told me she was pregnant, to."

"Ah, I see the problem. You are not a gypsy, so you think you can not have more than one wife." The laugh was hearty. "In Latveria, you can have more than one wife. Bring Magda here, as your senior wife. Valeria and her mother will talk with her, teach her how to deal with upstart junior wives. Then you will marry Raven; I shall make the arrangements and find you a manor worthy of man of your many talents and strengths. A nobleman's manor, with space for more wives than just two!"

"That's the problem. I love Magda; I know this as sure as I know that the sun is an atomic reaction, and that I can form metal to any shape I desire. I love Raven, yes, but it is not the same."

"Ah. This I understand. The love of a woman is one of the greatest things in the world. Even finer than a great wine. But just as two great vintages from the same yard may vary, the love of two women can differ as well."

"It is easy for you Victor." Erik threw back a large mouthful of the liquor, gasping for breath. It burned like acid. "Not for me."

_---nt_

Latveria was in an uproar. The old Baron had died. Wagging tongues said poison, but only if none of Doom's supporters were there. They were known to cut out wagging tongues.

That was the night Raven's son was born. He was earlier than had been expected. The midwife had thrown him from the room. Thinking of his other children and this one, Erik paced the halls outside the birthing room. He had a comet's tail of small metal objects. He still didn't know how to tell Magda. He hadn't told her. He was leaving soon to go back to New York, for the birth of the twins. He didn't know what to do. He was wearing his helmet- he knew Magda had spoken with Charles. There was no other way to keep one of the most powerful telepaths in history out of his head. He was ready to call Charles for advice, honestly, even it meant patching a bridge he burned when he left for this job.

There was a shriek of horror from the birthing room. Magnus flew towards the door, crashing through. That is when he saw him.

His son.

His blue son.

His blue furred son with pointy ears and a demon's tail.

His son looked up at him with amber eyes that seemed to shine with their own light.

"I'm a father."

_---nt_

Kurt was barely two weeks old. His special nature had made it harder to find someone willing to conduct the ceremony. It was a special occasion, but a solemn one as well.

Raven had grudgingly agree to this; she wanted no part of it, and had barred herself in her rooms. "It will hurt the boy later in life. He can't hide what he is- do you want to give him the world another reason to hate him?"

"But he is my son, Raven, don't you understand. He needs to know of his culture, both of them, Jew and Gypsy."

Victor had sent apologies. He had a brand new government to organized, and traitors to kill. Despite the laugh, Eric wasn't sure if his friend was joking.

He smiled as we watched his son be blessed.

The door slammed open. Raven stormed into the room.

"What is this?"

"You agreed to allow this to happen, Raven."

"Not this! Be gone, you antiquated hedge wizard!" She struck the man who's conducted the ceremony with her open hand, before snatching the child.

"What have you done to him, you bastard?" She bared her teeth, a bestial snarl. "You've ruined him, you idiot!."

Holding their son in her left arm, the right one grabbed a heavy ceramic insulator. The object connected with Erik's head, dazing him. He was only vaguely aware of her running out the door, but there was only one gate out of this castle. He shook of the blow, and followed. "Come back at once! "

Erik reached out to the metallic hounds he and the others had created. These were first of a canine-analog combat robot. These ones had special programming. He sent them in motion, ordered to block but not harm Raven. He threw open the window, and flew out.

He could hear their metallic barking. He had included that for personal reasons- he had strong memories of barking dogs. They could still cause him to pause for a moment. It was a primal sound to him.

There, he could see them. "RAVEN! NO!"

She was at the bridge. They had her stopped. He landed on the wooden slats, taking a step forward, holding his hands out. "Raven. Give me our son, please."

"He's not your son. He's a monster! This wasn't the bargain."

"What bargain? He's not a monster, give him to me. Please." His chest was tight. She was looking over edge of the bridge. She was a shape shifter- maybe she was going to take the form of a large bird and fly him out of here.

"He wasn't supposed to be marked by your pathetic God. Damn you, he's worthless now!" She opened her hand.

"NO!" Erik watched the small bundle fall. Into the water. Frigid water, snow melt barely above freezing, and rushing. The water leaped and jumped between the rocks as it dragged him him away. "Why, Raven? Why?"

With a cold glare, Raven Darkholme shifted into an owl and took to the sky.

"Get her! KILL HER! Kill Raven Darkholme." The orders to the hounds was given as he went over the edge of the bridge, flying less than an arms length from the surface. He set the steel in the magan david he wore around his neck to vibrate, heating the molecules in it to the point that they glowed red. By the angry light of of the steel, he scowered the river in vain.

But he knew.

He knew he might not have survived that fall. Combined with the shock of the frigid water and the beating of the rocks, only an expert athlete with mutant powers could have survived the trip down river. If it had reached the point of the next falls, no one could survive that. The sixty meter fall ended in jagged rocks that thrust up like boars teeth. No one, especially not an infant.

His son was dead. He knew this as surely as he knew that the sun would rise in the morning.

Raven was gone. She could be anyone, which meant she could be anywhere. Maybe a strong telepath could find her. Maybe. But none of Victor's could find her. She'd been gone before Magnus had returned from following the river. He had searched the castle looking for her. The emergency money she had stashed was missing, and the filing cabinets had been quickly cleaned out. She knew what she was looking for, and now she was gone.

_---nt_

The next morning, Erik Lenshner left without a word. Victor had called him; if Raven was to be found within the borders of Latveria, he would give his friend the 'sick bitch's head in a cask of salt.'

They had made three copies of almost everything. There were only a few things that they didn't have duplicate plans for. Erik stuffed most of them into a suitcase. He burned most of the rest. Some of this material was potentially too dangerous to entrust to someone that would bait both East and West into a nuclear exchange so he could own Europe. The death of his son, his Kurt, had brought the actions of Victor into stark relief. The bodies that hung from lamp posts in town... How could he have not seen those for what they were.

He twisted part of the store of sheet metal into a travel pod. He was going back to New York. There was nothing here for him.

_---nt_

Laura was waiting in the library. Logan and Storm were patrolling the grounds. She had studied enough about telepathic powers that she understood there could be some danger. She had appointed herself the keep of the gates while her friends were engaging in what Kitty had called a "mind meld".

Knocking on the door to the Professor's study, with it's clear 'do not disturb' sign in place, was normally very poor manners at the Institute unless the world was ending or the building was on fire. Tonight, Laura would have broken someone's arms.

She looked up from the book she was reading absently when the door opened. She stood, waiting for them. Rogue looked like she'd been dead for a week. Kurt was openly crying. She quickly got herself under the arm his sister wasn't supporting, ignoring the stares of the few students in the room. "What is it? Are you ok?"

"He just ha' his world turned upside down. How do yah think he's doin? We're goin' to his room."

Laura didn't say anything. She knew Rogue wasn't mad at her. Learning of Logan's existence had nearly crippled her. "It is a lot to process, Kurt. It will make more sense if you think about it; I've been there."

"Jah, you haff." He smiled weakly at her.

Behind them, Tabitha pulled the door to the study closed quietly. She glared at the others, hissing her words. "What, everyone got a staring problem tonight? Everyone clear out!"

The door muffled the sounds of pain from Magnus. He'd relived it all. The attempt to run. The camp. The fighting in Israel. Meeting Charles. Their travels. Their fights. His marriage. His betrayal. His children, and his failure to all of them. Being a Horseman. He'd reopen each of his psychic wounds to show Kurt the truth.

The young women got Kurt to his own bed. It was where he wanted to be- Rogue had offered to take him anywhere, so he could think.

"Yah gonna need anything, Kurt?" Rogue set on the edge of the bed, while Laura crouched halfway to the open door, on guard.

Kurt pulled his nightstand drawer open with his tail. "Aspirin."

Rogue found the bottle and took out two. "Won't do any good. Trust meh, the Professor's headaches just take time." She ran a hand gently down his spine. "Do yah want meh to tell Kitty how y'er doin' when she gets back?"

"Jah. Thanks."

_---nt_

"So Magnus no longer thinks Kurt is, like, his son?" Kitty stared up at the ceiling- Kurt was out cold when she and the others got back. "But what about Mystique's memories."

"She's told so many lies even she doesn't know the truth any more. Putting the two memories next to each other, there are things that are just _wrong_ with hers." Rogue shuddered. She couldn't believe she was about to say this. "Ah believe Magnus' version more."

"Kitty?"

"Yeah Rogue."

"There was something Ah heard in the session with Kurt in a language Ah didn't know right away, but it almost sounded like Hebrew." As the three of them lay in the darkness, Rogue did her best to sound it out. The memories were fresh, but she'd never spoken this language before. Rogue only knew it because she had listened to Kitty pray before.

"It's Hebrew- Oh!" Kitty blushed. "I think it is the opening words of the prayer at a the bris." She turned a deeper shade of red, and thought about sinking into the floor.

**---Author's notes:**

If you don't know what a bris is, just trust me- Magnus was pretty damn sure he was the dad. I'd love to see the look on the mohel's face when he met Kurt. Absolutely not an Orthodox one. *laughs* The ceremony is kinda like a baptism, but not really- close in spirit, wide in the details.

For those of you too young to remember, there was a time when it was an accepted fact that the world would end with nuclear devastation unless the two super powers got their shit together. I can remember living under the path of an Air Force runway, and the night that they launched a two squadrons of B-52s, their supporting tankers, and then finally the fighters. We didn't go to the basement- that close, if it had been real, at three miles away from the base it wouldn't have made a difference. Given that we now know Otis was supposed to have a trio of warheads in the 50 kiloton range and we were less than ten miles from the center of the base, if it was going to be raining nukes, yeah, I'd have been a flash and then air pollution. You kids who only know the Cold War as a history lesson, listen to me: I am very jealous of you. I might have signed on with Doom to, if that was what he was preaching.

Yeah, a pre-nuked Dr. Doom... Kind of a scary guy, you actually want to like him. Is the very image of the Gypsy leader, big and bluff and if you interfere with his tribe he will cut your throat and toss you in the river. He's noble and upstanding as an act, because he's been told this how a man of his station should act. He'd eat your head like a melon if he thought it was the best thing for Latveria, by which he means for Victor von Doom.


	18. Chapter 18

**They Never Trained Me for This  
Chapter 18**

Set the morning after the last chapter.

I'm basically doing a slight reassignment on Never Trained. There is a lot of stuff that isn't involved enough to make a oneshot that may become important, and it will be here. Not to say that oneshots won't happen, and there will be other side steps like **Spring Break** was, but if can't stand on it's own and it involves the Institute, it will probably be here. The big exception will be LoRo stuff- **Fairytale **gets that.

_---nt_

Kurt glanced over at his roommate as they dressed before most of the students were awake. "So you really didn't know anything?"

Remy froze, his tshirt half way on. "He never said a thing. If'n Ah'd known, Ah'd have tol' yah. We grew up as orphans, you and Rogue and me. Ah'm guessin' we all won'ered who our real parents were. Dat means more 'n keepin' his secrets." He pulled the shirt down over his muscled body, tucking it into his jeans. "Magnus told us Acolytes once, not to hurt yah if we could avoid it, he owed yah' but he said to not kill or maim any of yah if possible. 'Sides, Pitor an' me, we dinna wanna hurt anyone at all."

"Did he ever say anything else about me?" He was crouched, one foot bare, the other with a boot half on, watching his friend for signs of hiding something. He liked Remy, trusted him. The thief was the closest friend he'd had a while who wasn't his sister or his girlfriend. Only five months since Remy had returned to the Institute, and the four of them were close. If Remy was lieing about this, what else...

"Non, not specifically. He did call Mystique a few ungentlemanly things 'fore. Even if she did try kill yah, and messed wi' yoah mind and Rogue's and who knows who else, Ah'd normally think less 'a da man for sayin' dat of a lady."Remy shook his head sadly. Rogue had confronted him last night, as soon as he and Kitty got the kids back to the Institute. He'd been told a lot; he had offered to let her see in his mind, her way. "But in Mystique's case, she ain' no lady. Dat woman is a Devil."

Kurt wiggled his tail and ears. "There is a slight resemblance."

He looked at his shorter friendly sadly. Remy was catholic, but not like Kurt was, it was part of what defined him. He couldn't image how much it hurt to mistaken for a demon sometimes for Nightcrawler. "Remy no mean it like 'dat. No, never like dat."

"Its ok. I've just been thinking about something." He'd been thinking about a lot of things. He was thinking about the way Mystique had reacted, saying he was 'ruined', how it wasn't part of her 'bargin'. But things like were just legends, right?

Weren't they?

"Kurt? Are we good?" Remy knew if he had to, he could move into the Brotherhood house. It had been abandoned over a year ago, there was no lights, no power, no water, but it was a roof.

Nightcrawler walked across the room, taking Gambit's hand in his and embracing him. "Jah. Jah, vhe good, Remy."

"Good. Ah jus hope mi cheire doesn't put me in the oven- Ah've got the kitchen team with her dis morning. If'n Rogue 's still mad at me, da Danger Room will be safer."

They left the room. He and Kitty had mapped a dynamic obstacle course that involved agility and intellect- they hadn't told anyone, but if the right pattern was observed, the barriers would become stationary. They'd still have to keep the drones of their backs, but there would only be a few. They could get through with brute force and luck, but they'd work up an appetite.

He pulled himself from his haze when he heard his voice.

"Kurt?" Kitty was worried about him. When she'd gotten back last night, Rogue had been pissed. Not a little pissed, but a lot pissed. Kitty had half expected Remy to get decked. No, more than half. She'd gotten out of the middle of that as soon as she could. She'd gone up and sat in Kurt and Remy's room, watching her elf sleep. She knew Rogue like a sister- she'd probably been questioning Remy like something out of a bad movie, complete with rubber hose.

He feel the smile start in his chest when he heard Kitty's voice. He hugged her tightly, wrapping himself around her, nuzzling her softly. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For just being you." He kissed her, lightly."That is what I need right now." He bamfed them across the library to one of the larger chairs, under the windows. They curled into one, not saying anything, just taking strength in each other. It wasn't telepathy, just normal human empathy. Or maybe a little bit more than that, but only because they'd been together now for years. They'd been a team since they'd tried to recruit Rogue.

"Hey." They both looked up at Scott and Jean. They were both suited up; Scott was wearing his normal shades as he cleaned his visor while talking to them. "I was wondering if you might want to swap training sessions. I know you two were going to be running this morning's, but Jean is making up lost time for her research project and might not be back for this afternoon's and..."

"Works for me. Kurt?" He nodded, resting his cheek on her shoulder.

"Thanks guys." Jean smiled, watching their friends. They didn't know all of what had happened, Jean had refused to pry, but Kurt's dreams had been loud.

Kitty and Kurt sat there, watching their fellow X-men head to various places within the Institute, along with the first students to wake up. He waited for the group who had the Danger Room this morning were all down stairs before he spoke, knowing they'd have a few minutes of peace and quiet.

"Kitty..."

"Hmm?"

"Did Rogue... Ask you about the ceremony?" Her blush was as good as yes, then she hid her face against his neck to confirm it. He didn't know the proper names for the ceremonies, but he'd read enough to have the basic ideas. "It was what I think it was?"

"Yes." She was worried. The religion question was one they'd discussed. Her parents weren't that worried about her being with a gentile, and Kurt got almost as many emails from her grandfather as she did. She knew he'd given up bacon, something he once called the 'king of meats' before dating her. He was still eatting cheese burgers, but he almost held kosher. But he was Catholic, and she knew that she was one of the reasons he'd decided against trying to join the priesthood- like, no pressure there at all. She'd only been as important as God to him.

In her more rational moments, it almost seemed a little scary.

He kissed her temple lightly. He knew what she was worried about. He wasn't changing anything. "I'm still working for a Jewish carpenter. But I feel a little closer to the boss this morning."

---nt

Tabitha stood outside the door for a moment, listening. Silent, at least to her. She pressed her ear to the door- still silent. She knocked lightly. "Magnus?"

She looked up at a footstep from further down the hall. RJ was fully dressed, as always, but he had his towel over his shoulder, having just gotten out of the shower. "Rob, is Magnus in there?" The young man shook his head, and opened his door. Tabitha sneered. _Jeez, your mutation sucks, but you could at least talk like normal people._

She knocked again, this time a little harder. "Magnus?" She turned the door, opening it a few inches. "You in here?"

"Yes Tabitha. You may come in."

She stepped in, studying the room. She paused to close the lid to the jewlery box by the door; she hated that thing. The door was left two fingers open- Magnus insisted that he was a student, not an instructor- but it was closed enough to give them privacy. He was sitting at the window in the wooden, straight backed chair he normally kept at his desk. He was staring out through the blinds.

She rested her hands on the back of the chair, concerned. He got on her and many of the younger students about doing well in school. She remembered vividly the demonstration where he took a length of train rail, and pressed it into hair-thin wire, that was brute power; he then folded it into a shape that was able to hold fifty times its own weight, that was true strength. He'd told them unless they wanted to end up common thugs, they would have to study. That was his third day at the Institute. He always saw them off to school since then. "Pfenning for your thoughts."

"I should have told him sooner. Now he'll always wonder."

"Woulda, coulda, shoulda. Too late now; Blue knows. What are you going to do to fix it?" The last phrase was one he liked to use when one of the students had made a mistake.

"I don't know." He was still mentally drained from last night. He'd never had Charles dredge though his memory like that. It was humbling and a little humiliating. It had also aggravated old pains and fear. He'd been able to bring with him a little bit of blood from Kurt when he Latveria. "A paternity test would do it."

"It would." She knew. When her mother learned about her father's attempt to get her help him steal one last time, it was finally enough. He'd try to tell the judge he wasn't Tabby's father- the judge hadn't been very happy when the lab results were back. The odds of her not being his daughter were about on par with the odds of her father being a Martian. "Are you going to be OK?"

"Yes, Tabitha, it is just a lot to go through in a few hours. You might describe it as being hit by a bus." Since he'd seen Kurt, Magnus had been wondering if it was possible, but it couldn't have been. The blood test wasn't absolute, but it was nearly so.

"You better be. Or I'll be pissed at you- I don't need more friends disappearing, only to show up working for The Man." She squeezed his shoulder gently. "I need to get to school, but I"ll keep my phone on."

"You will do no such thing, young lady." He pulled himself from the chair. "Thank you, for being worried. Now go, or you'll be late."

_---nt_

Jean Grey's touch was not the light stroke normally used for these kinds of swabs. She had only seen the Professor make a few mistakes. Trusting Magneto was the biggest one- compared to this, hiding Mystique's cover when they were in high school was on par with trying to put a shoe on the wrong foot. "I am doing this for Kurt."

"As that may be, I will still thank you for the answer."

She snorted as she sheathed the swab it in it's transport vial, labeling it. She had taken several from each of them.

"How long will it be until we know for sure?"

"Four days. Five if the lab is backed up." She could dislike him. She could be rougher than was professional. She could even want to burn his twisted, dangerous mind clean of anything that resembled an intelligent thought, just in case he turned on them. But lie about something like that, no.

_--nt_

Every instructor at the Xavier Institute had a daily training session. Two hours, sometimes three. If you had a class outside of the Institute you could get out of it, or a very pressing errand or task, but no one was immune forever.

They were in the Danger Room two or three times a week, but the simulations weren't like the 20 minute tactical problems that the students had. Logan had fond memories of the historical one Hank had developed where for two hours ten mutants had held the Hot Gates against the Persian hordes. _That_ had been the most fun he could remember that hadn't involved broken bar stools.

The rest of the time it was my traditional training. Hand-to-hand, with each instructor sharing what they knew, from traditional Asian and European forms, to the origins of krav maga that Magnus had learned in the early days of Isreal, or everyone's legs bound or strapped in a wheelchair, learning the techniques that Charles had developed after he'd been hurt. Weights, gymnastics, swimming. Most of them ran, some of them danced.

And everyone was continuing their education. Languages. Sciences and technology. History. Even musical instruments. But some took a more traditional, formal route.

_---nt_

"Jean, can you stay for a moment? I want to talk to you about that test you me asked to run."

"Sure, Dr. Kline." He was a professor, but for Jean Grey just like so many other Xavier students, only one person was a Professor. "Do we have result already? I didn't expect them until tomorrow."

"Thats what I want to talk to you about. Lets go to my office."

Concerned, Jean followed Kline to the cubby hole he shared with another faculty member, who wasn't there. "Jean, where did you get those samples?"

"A student and a possible father, I can't really say much without their permission. Why?" It wasn't that much of an untruth- if you asked the Professor or Storm or Logan, she and Scott were still students.

"Subject 'M' is very normal. Some minor oddities, but nothing significant. Certainly no relation to the other one." Kline frowned. "It was Subject 'K' that was confusing. I must say your young friend has a rather interesting family."

"Doctor, you don't know the half of it." Jean started to laugh, then bit it off. "What is it?"

"Some of the patterns in that sample were not human. They also don't match any animal in the library- I've never seen contamination quite like that. So we tested the other four sample from Subject 'K'.

"The maternal material was different but related in all of the sources, almost as if they were further mutations of the same X-chromosome, which just happened to have about 190 million base pairs. Ms Grey, pleas stop me when it starts to sound odd. The paternal material was at least consistent with the first sample, but it normal. Lets start with the existence of twenty _six_ paternal chromosomes, in pairs or trines with twenty three aberrant maternal chromosomes. Who or _what_ did you take that sample from? An alien? Or is this some kind of prac-"

"Sorry Doc. I hope you don't forget third grade or something." She'd stopped him in mid thought, reaching into his mind, carefully peeling back the layers until she found the memories of Kurt's sample. She slowly backed her way through the thoughts, removing the memories about Kurt's aberrant DNA. Instead, she twisted them to show that the samples were all horribly contaminated and that she had apologized for being so sloppy in her collection technique.

Jean pulled up the records on the computer. Logged in as him, she found the records of the test. She quickly printed everything, and deleted the information about Kurt's peculiar make up. She couldn't delete all the data, but she didn't have the ability to remove signs that they had existed, so she made a notation of 'contaminated, no usable material' in the results.

Jean tucked two fingers under the collar of her shirt, pulling it out a few times. She was suddenly very hot. She looked about nervously- she'd typed with telekinesis, she wouldn't have left any prints, and there wasn't a security camera in the room. She tilted him forward in his chair, posing him as if he'd fallen asleep at his desk. "Sleep well Dr Kleine."

She had to make another stop- the lab.

_Professor? We've got a problem with Kurt's test; I just did something on my own initiative...._

_---nt_

Alex, Laura, Kitty and Rogue had been sitting down by the brook, working on their German classwork. Even instructors were not exempt from having to learn more. That was where Kurt had found them, his step bouncier than it had been in a while.

"Someone looks happy." Kitty pulled him down to the grass.

"Jah, got the results! The blood test was right."

"So, I'm not going to have to put up with Quicksilver at the family reunion?" Rogue was joking to hide the relief she felt.

"Just you and me again this year, schwester-meine." Kurt grinned back over Kitty's shoulder as they hugged. "My vater is still unknown."

Laura felt relieved for her friend- she liked Magnus, but it was obvious to anyone how much it had bothered him. She took a moment to convert what she wanted to say into german. //"Don't stop looking Kurt, you have one.//"

Alex lay back on the grass, stretching. He looked at his girlfriend with a teasing expression. "Laura, Jean could do a test on you and Wolverine- then maybe you'll be able to prove he isn't really your father and people will stop bugging you about it."

Laura refused to let her first expression show. She often did. Alex didn't mean it as anything other than a joke about her loud and repeated claim that he wasn't her father, but her prototype. He knew that her genes weren't normal, they had been tailored- her genes would be those of an obvious mutant, and obviously an engineered one. No one got to see them, no one. "Don't need a test to know he's my prototype." She made a fist, her claws shninking into position. "This is all the test I need."

Alex lifted his head a little, kissing the flat of one of the flesh warm blades. "Works for me."

_---nt_

"Jean, are you sure about this?"

"Yes Professor. I don't want to remember that. I _like_ Kurt, he's my friend. But... I don't know if I'll be able to look at him again and not wonder 'what is he'? Worry for Kitty if they make it. I just don't want to know this, Professor."

**---Author's Notes:**

A pfenning was 1/100th of a mark, before the Euro was adopted.

OK, human genetics in a nutshell. You've got 23 pairs of chromosomes. One pair helps to determine your gender, the other 22 help to define everything else. Human males have an X and a Y chromosome, with about, respectively, 60 and 153_ million_ base pairs of DNA, while females have two X chromosomes.

Fruitflies and some plants have four pairs; the platypus has 26 pairs.

Wolverines have 21... No wonder he's so short.

And, uh, Jean.. yeah, damn Red. Way to control sensitive information. I usually just smack them with a really thick, really scary legal document until they sign it.


	19. Chapter 19

**They Never Trained Me For This**

**Chapter 19**

OK, I got my urge to chew on Kurt out of my system.

_---nt_

It was late- Hank had invited everyone to a meteor viewing party. Or as Rogue had phrased it, a "freeze yah buns off party". The best nights for astronomy were always clear, and thus cold. It was four in the morning as they were wrapping up- everyone had agreed it was best to push back this morning's training session. At least it was the weekend. Everyone was expecting tomorrow's session to be a big one- the Professor had said no training sessions the week of finals.

It probably wouldn't be that hard, as the Professor, Scott, Jean, Logan and Kurt had left just before sunset. There was an emergency recruitment. They had Blackbird-2 on the catapult, just in case they had to send reinforcements.

Gambit was sitting at the kitchen table along with the other junior instructors and a few of the students. They'd decided it was early enough to be too late to go back to bed. Rogue watch him playing with his cards, sipping mocha, nodding every few hands.

"Was that for the Professor and the others." Remy nodded. "Good." These new guys were a pair of brothers. Rogue had a pad next to her, trying to work out the geometry of two more beds in the boy's wing. The only space open was the guest room- that worked, they rarely had a guest. They could put them in the one in the girl's wing. Next fall was going to be crowded unless the Professor OKed some construction, and fast, or a lot of the New Mutants moved out.

Kitty scratched her head. "This is the weirdest solitaire game I've ever seen."

"No solitaire- tarot, Kitty. And 'tis no game." He looked up at the young woman across the table from him. "As Rogue knows."

"Destiny taught meh what they mean." She closed her eyes at the memory of her foster mothers, but only for a moment. "They don't mean much, it's a superstition."

"Really? Like witches an' demons an' werewolves?" Rogue blushed- they'd just spent an over an hour with who friends and allies who could look like one or more of those categories. Gambit folded the deck into his hand, shuffling quickly. "Would you touch de cards den, cheri?"

"Oh, pulease, don't tell meh yah believe this." Seeing he was serious, she blew her bangs back. Peeling off her glove so he knew she was serious, she tapped the top card for a moment. "There, Ah hope Ah just jinxed 'em, Swamprat."

"Oh, yah can't jinx de cards, only tell dem who yah are." The first card was the queen of hearts. Then the jack of hearts, and the five of diamonds. Calmly, keeping his eyes on Rogue's, Remy flipped them over with out looking. The sixth card was the five of clubs.

"Gambit, knock it off!" Rogue blushed scarlet. "You and yah little friends...." She got up and stormed out of the room.

Laura looked over Gambit's shoulder. "It is a random distribution of playing cards, why was she angry?"

"Dis is the crown spread, it shows that which is far away or yet to be." Gambit touched the first one, knowing that he would have an audience, blushing himself. "De trusted lady, as de queriant, Rogue. De jack of hearts stands for a long time frien' and ally, and bein' second shows what she thinking of dat is. " His voice trailed off, looking at the doorway. He'd heard Rogue flump down on the couch in the foyer. It was no secret that Gambit used the jack of hearts for himself, while he had given enough queens of heart to Rogue many times. "Five diamonds means a long relationship, and success with children- dis is what she wonders about. We already know she is a tres bon teacher." His smile seemed a little forced. "The killer queen, the queen of spades, she is a trouble that can't be changed. Four hearts, the old maid, mi' lady is too picky, as the obstacle card."

Whispering, eyes wide, Kitty leaned close. "What does the sixth one mean?

"In the crown, the sixth is the best possible outcome- here, it is the marriage card."

"It isn't finished. There should be more cards." Unbidden, Laura placed two more, the ace of spades and the eight of diamonds. Kitty gasped- even she knew this ace what the death card. "What does that position mean?"

Remy frowned, glancing at Laura. "Wors' case scenario."

Laura glared, looking at the door, like she could see through it. "We aren't telling her. So the best that can happen is that you two have a long and happy life here, teaching, or one of you will die." She really didn't like that thought. On their own, her toes clenched, foot claws sliding out.

Kitty looked at the spread before them like a live viper in her laundry basket. "And the last one?"

"A later marriage, after things calm down."

"Thats like so freaky."

"Ah think I'm going to go back out, see ifen I can see more meteors." Gambit picked up the undealt cards, one slipping free. He flipped it over casually, the two of spade. He looked at it for a moment. "Mus' not a' shuffled very well." He set the duece on top of the others, face up. "An' Laura, please don't touch the cards without permission- you disrupt sight of the cards if you do. It can change who's future is bein' told, petite."

"Oh." She leaned down, close to the deck where it sat in his hand She whispered to them. "I'm sorry. Do not hurt Rogue. Take me if you want someone."

Remy laughed softly. "I doubt that they will. They just show what might happen." He reverently placed the eight offending cards into the pocket of tshirt, while the rest of the deck went into his pocket. "With our lives, the ferryman is always close. She knows that, and that the death card just means things change."

He he got up to leave he paused. "Don' let anyone shake off the table cloth 'ntil well after dawn. Or even wipe it down." He walked out the door to the foyer, pausing to pick up a broom that was propped in the corner.

After several moments, it became clear he hadn't gone out the front door, they'd have heard it. Kitty phased through the door, just enough to check. He'd put the broom across the door, which she'd seen him do once or twice, always after something had shaken him. Remy was sitting on the coffee table, saying nothing, just holding Rogue's gloved hands. Their heads were bowed, not quite touching, eyes closed.

Quietly, Kitty backed away into the kitchen.

"So why is Rogue so angry?" Laura was getting out a loaf of bread. "It is not as if she doesn't know."

**---Author's notes:**

Remy noticed, given how the spread was reading. Did any of you? There is preview of something being worked on for anyone who can tell me what it was.

Wow. Nineteen chapters. Each part of the holiday tril could have been justified as a chapter, as could Graduation. Plus eight chapters of Spring Break. That makes effectively thirty chapters to this story, without including some of the less needed side stories and the Brotherhood stories. Thirty-one. 31. Three one. XXXI. That doesn't even include the Brotherhood tales, the minor side storied (like **Fairytale**), the far flung future (**Long Have I Lived**), and other timelines (**Age of Wolverine**, which isn't forgotten, I'm just trying to keep it from turning into a jihad. I don't want have shouting in my head. _For Wolverine, for survival! Xavier, and no quarter_! I'm pretty sure that is how this version of Chuck doesn't want to be remembered.).

And that is in only a year character time, since last spring's graduation, when the younger half of the X-men became junior instructors. Alex. Laura. Betsy. RJ. Flea. Syrin. Remy. Magnus. And those are just the new members I've mentioned.

There is a lot more. Not just at the Institute, and not just for the Brotherhood. 11052 is a big 'verse. Time passes, space flows, and always are the watchers.


	20. Chapter 20

**They Never Trained Me For This**

**Chapter 20**

So... I must have touched on something that made people uncomfortable somehow, based on the number of reviews for the last few chapters. Either that, or ya'll are swamped....

_---nt_

Two young warriors, friends, meditating together would be thought a relatively unremarkable thing in some cultures. Even if they were both girls. They weren't like most, the average person would stare at the very least. Their culture was small enough that even the meditations of these two not unusual.

But they were unique.

Laura and Betsy both sat in lotus, but about ten inches off the ground. Laura's claws had bit in just enough to get purchase against the roof of the hanger, while her arms quivered and shifted slightly to keep her balance. Perched on her psi-blades, Betsy did the same. They breathed in from the belly, filling their lungs.

One could feel the movement of the earthworms' life force coming up to take the dew, sheltered by the cool darkness of night, while the other could hear the tiny pops of their tunnels reaching the surface and the flex of the grass under their weight. They could sense the bats and the moths.

They sat near where the stream raced for the ocean, the scent of water salt and fresh mingling with the lick of waves on the bay, the burbble of the stream, and the slow roar of the falls. The air was heavy, but not oppressive, a rain was coming, soft, slow and warm.

One trained as a guardian. One trained as a destroyer.

They both balanced on a pinpoint, the place bushido and ninpo, outcast and hero, meet.

They breathed out, slowly, completely. They were watching in the darkness, on guard and at peace.

**---Authors notes:**

Hadn't done an "artsy" piece in a while.

As I mentioned in my profile, for the X-men, rather than hearing individual themes for most of the characters, I hear themes for their relationships with others. Laura and Betsy's bond sounds Juno Reactor's _Samurai_, all of it, not just the short version.

For those who are not familiar, bushido and ninpo are a pair of opposing but complimentary japanese warrior philosophies. Bushido is more about offense, and honor through death, while modern ninpo is defensive, with honor through life. From an operational point of view, ninpo is very much the special, unconventional side, while bushido is big, conventional operations.


	21. Chapter 21

**They Never Trained Me For This  
Chapter 21**

Yayyyyy! Schools out for summer.**  
**

_-nt_

Finals were over. Graduation was tomorrow. One of the most closely held secrets of the Xavier Institute was that many of the students would be leaving for a week or would be the perfect time for someone to try to target the students, but they would be taking all their gear with them, including comms. Cyclops and Wolverine insisted.

But tonight, they were celebrating. The smell of food and the sounds of laughter filled the air.

The Professor got their attention. "Thank you, everyone. I want to thank you all for waiting until after tommorrow's ceremony before departing, I'm sure your classmates will appreciate your support. I'm sure this barbeque had nothing to do with it."

"Ain't a barbecue, Professor, it's a cook out!" Rogue's arms were crossed. Ask any Southerner- hot dogs, hamburgers, and chicken cooked over charcoal might be good food, but it was not barbecue if the flames were right under the meat. There were nods from the other southerners.

"Thank you Rogue, I stand corrected." The Professor chuckled. It wasn't the first time she'd told him that. It would appear that his childhood on Long Island had had some shortcomings. "At this cookout, I want to thank you all for the past year. We've continued to grow new and old, and we've faced our share of challenges along the way with courage and decisiveness."

"I want to take this opportunity to update you on our long term programs. As many of you know, we are still without full medical staff, but I hope that will change. And our chronic space shortages may be nearing an end- the Williams land next door to us has been placed up for sale."

"But that guy hates us!" It was true. There was the 'mutants are demons' sign at the bottmo of his driveway, and for people who still had questions, there was the once a month protest groups. They were on private land and weren't breaking the law other than maybe noise ordinances. They were fortunately easy to ignore, but they had been taking photos. They had raised the wall on that side and added planted trellises around some of the more sensative areas; some legal pressure had helped to.

"Yes, but he sees we are not leaving. So we are in a position to almost double our acreage. That will give us the space we need to expand our facilities, so that we stand a better chance to being recognized as a private, residential school. I will be taking suggestions for names of new buildings." There were murmurs.

"If we can do this, those of you who are graduating tommorrow may very well be the last to do so from Bayville High. But this depends on a number of things. Some, we have little to no control over, but I need you all to do everything in your power to make this dream possible.

"X-men, and those New Mutants who graduate tommorrow, I shall rely on you to manage the school, and teach and lead the students. For those of you are still students, you're combination of abilities and talents, combined with the number of you, is something that we have a hard time predicting. As group, you always present us with a significant x-factor in any planned training exercises. We could always split you into..." The newest students were looking at him oddly, and each other. Some were laughing. There were one or two high-fives. He was getting a thumbs up from Flea- that made Charles feel slightly unclean. "Why do I feel like I said something profound and failed to notice it?"

RJ grinned. "Professor, you know we're all sick of just being the 'new kids'. I think you just found our name" From the nodding heads, it was obvious there was a lot of agreement.

Theresa smiled. "X-Factor?" Betsy whispered it. Alex murmured that he liked it. Laura squeezed his hand, nodding. They all liked it.

"Very well." The Professor smiled indulgently. "X-Factor. May you befuddle your enemies as much as you do your instructors. In the next few weeks, the newest students will start joining you. They will look up to you, and I will need you to help us teach them."

**-Authors notes:**  
I'll take suggestions for the names of two dorms and a classroom/lab building, assuming the Xavier Institute can become a stand alone private school.**  
**


	22. Chapter 22

**They Never Trained Me For This  
Chapter**

Haven't seen much of Laura and Alex. While Never Trained is opening to include every one, I still want to try to keep at lest one eye on those two.

_-nt_

Logan was surprised at how effortlessly they moved together. He'd invited himself onto Laura and Alex's run this morning. It wasn't a long one, only a few miles, but enough to get the kinks out and the blood pumping. He'd expected Slim2 to be breathing harder, but he didn't look to be in worse shape than Logan felt right now- he could jog all day if he had to, but this was a run. They'd done a not quite ten kilometers in in just over thirty one minutes. Another few hundred yards, and they'd be at the gate.

That was after stretching and some fairly aggressive calisthenics to warm up. He was impressed, especially with Alex. He knew the kid was getting good, but...

Without prompting or any reason, Laura suddenly blurted out "Wall?"

"Wall."

"What about the wall?" Logan frowned. They slowed down a little, just a hair, Laura watching the sensors on the wall, while Alex watched her. Without a word, Laura dashed for the brick barrier, leaping to the top. Alex jumped, catching her hand before being jerked to the top of the fourteen foot wall in a fraction of a second. In his minds eye, he could see them rolling off on the other side. They'd done it in less time than it took for the cameras closest to them to make a full sweep.

"Cyke is gonna be thrilled." Scott had really wanted to keep his little brother mostly normal. This wasn't normal, even for Xavier students. He was going to have a talk with Laura about the other gaps she'd found and hadn't told him about. Ok, ok, she had told him the cameras were slow a couple of times. And they should put razor wire or spikes or maybe even mines up at the top.

Then he saw them, leaning over the edge, reaching their hands out to him. Laura mouthed _move_ at him. He put his shoe on the wall and stepped up, caught by their hands. They pulled. They didn't slow down. He suddenly realized they were going to toss him over the other side. He landed with a soft thud. "Hey!"

The both landed next to him a fraction of a second later, grinning. Alex had some small cuts on his fingertips; Laura had blood smears, but the injuries were already healed. They must have hung off the side of the wall, just under the cameras, then come back for him.

"Cute trick." He blinked when Alex gestured for him to be quiet. Kid was paying attention in the leadership and tactics classes, had to give him that. Laura was shaking her hand, three fingers, then two, one.

The two of them broke from the lee of the wall. He could see they had timed the cameras. The motion and seismic sensors would pick them up, but how many people had those? The three of them flew over the lawn with strides like silent thunder.

Betsy was waiting for them at the front door. "Hell, you two make me feel sick and old. Did you forget where you are supposed to be?"

Alex grinned, shaking the sweat from his blond hair. "We had to wait for Logan. Later." With a wave, he jogged towards the south end stairs, the fast way to get to the Danger Room from here.

Laura smiled at her boyfriend's back before she to bolted for her morning chores. "I'm late for the kitchen."

Betsy smiled sympathetically. "Don't feel bad Mr. Logan. I think they are crazy to."

**-Author's notes:**  
Someone pointed out that Alex is picking up some of Laura's habits- she's picking up some of his, to. But he was always athletic, if he was serious about going into the junior pros in the surfing community he had to be in shape. Surfing, scuba diving, as a beach jock he'd have to be. Running is about cardio and overall stamina, not always about speed but that means you have stronger legs, you can take rougher waves and swim harder. Lets face it, he grew up in Hawaii- you also have rock climbing, hiking/trail running, they have pretty much everything that doesn't need ice. He's not bulky muscle, just lean, toned, fit, blond and tanned- if he didn't have a girlfriend, he would. All Laura has done is improve what was there- he's sharper, and he'll hold his edge longer, but he was still pretty sharp to begin with.

And the ten-kay Olympic qualifying time is 27:49


	23. Chapter 23

**They Never Trained Me For This  
Chapter**

So it is a little early...

_-nt_

Logan frowned. Someone had been in his room, someone very, very stealthy. He growled softly as he slowly opened the door. Nothing jumped at him- good, no practical jokes so far. Still, between Kurt and Remy, those two had pranked just about everyone.

Sitting on his bed was a simple piece of card stock. No wires, he couldn't smell glue or anything like that. He picked it up curiously, unfolding it. The writing was in a firm, clear hand, almost computer precise in it's strokes.

_Logan._

_You are not my father, as I have attempted to explain to you and will attempt to convince you of yet one more time. I was created in a lab, using your genetics among those of other people, maybe even other species. If I have parents, my mother would be a test tube and my father a knife, with a supercomputer for a midwife. _

Logan growled loudly- this was Father's Day. He almost crumpled it into a ball, but curiosity made him keep reading. It couldn't hurt worse.

_Even though I say I am your clone, I am not. I tell myself that I am, but I know better. I was made using part of you, and fillers. I am a knock off, an imitation. I am a collection of spare genes put together and somehow I survived. I tell people I am your clone because I hope I will be as good as you are, someday. With enough training._

"Bullshit, kid. You are as tough as I am, probably smarter, and you're a lot easier to get along with." Logan wanted to hit something. Her self worth issues, they'd never go away.

_This does not mean that I do not wish you were my father. I do._

_Laura._

Logan sat on the edge of his bed, reading that line several times. He wanted to go hug something.

_ps- If you tell anyone I said that, I'll deny it. -L_

The laughter of the Wolverine rolled down the hall. 

The big question is, does Laura really feel this, or is it just part of her self assigned "cover" as she tries to become a "real person". Is she really becoming normal, or is she just acting it really well? But I would counter that with the Turing Test, and the implications that would be posed by a simulation of personality so detailed it passes 100% of the time until free form situations in the "real" world. I say it wouldn't matter- "real" emotions, or "programmed" ones, same thing if the entity making the statement believes it to be both truthful and factual.


	24. Chapter 24

**They Never Trained Me For This**

As I've said, Laura is rubbing off on Alex. He's also rubbing off on her.

-_nt_

Logan's eyes flashed open. His internal clock told him it was time for a round. The LEDs of the alarm clock said 2:50. Exactly the right time. He eased himself from the bed, pausing to pull jeans on over his boxers, and stomping into his boots. Already his ears and nose were reaching forward as he pulled the laces tight and knotted them. Soundlessly he slipped from his bedroom, recognizing all of the guys by thier breathing and snoring.

They all slept soundly. Hard not to with their lifestyle. Hank had told him that the smallest of the guys was probably burning four thousand calories a day; the more energy hungry bodies could almost do that sleeping. He'd once heard one of the normal students at the high school comment that it must be easy living at their cushy mansion up on the cliff over the bay. His kids had started laughing- chores, training sessions, normal classes, the electives and college level advanced classes at the Institute, their innate competitiveness, and a lack of servants. Yep, very high brow. At least it kept them out of too much trouble.

Logan glanced at one door, with a white board on the outside of it. He shook his head as he listened to Kurt talking to 'meine Katzchen' in his sleep. He left the boys' wing and crossed the library with light footsteps.

Once he was in the girls' wing, he paused. He breathed deeply- just to the right was Ororo's room. He drank in her scent and smiled before going forward.

He listened closely. He knew he was protective of all the students, sometimes much to their chagrin. But he was a little more so with the young ladies. But there were three in particular who his protectiveness was almost paranoid. Laura would have been here in the hall if she was going with him this morning. She usually did, but not always. She always got annoyed with herself if she missed a night, she'd probably meet him at HIS door tommorow. But it was ok- he liked taking his three in the morning walk with Laura, but by the same token, he wished she wouldn't. He wouldn't tell her she shouldn't, that he didn't want her to be like him, because she couldn't help being her. They were predators who'd been tamed- if allowed to be feral, to be strays, they would be a danger. But they'd found a place where they could have something better, and they could still be themselves but channel it into defending their tribe.

Logan snorted at himself- he'd been reading Jack London recently.

He frowned- he could hear Kitty and Rogue breathing inside, but not Laura. He went down to the door of the girl's bathroom- nope, no one breathing in there. That was odd.

There was no way he could track her scent in this hall. He went back to the library. He listened closely, carefully. There was a.. noise, downstairs. He couldn't recognize it. He followed it, smelling Laura's scent stronger as he got closer to the kitchen. The lights are off, the only illumination from the dozen or so clocks on the various appliances, and from the screen of the laptop in front of Laura. She wave in acknowledgment, her attention rapt on whatever was on the screen. He looked over her shoulder and froze.

"You're watching cartoons?"

"No, shhh. Two minutes."

He waited until she was done. She removed the DVD and put it back in it's case, then shut down the computer. "Is it that late already?"

"Yeah it is." Logan looked at the box and chuckled.

"What?" Laura opened the kitchen door, stepping outside. They both sniffed the air and listened for several minutes before they continued the tour of the campus.

"I'm just surprised, that's all. I wouldn't have expected you to be up in the middle of tnight watching cartoons. Nothing wrong with it- Hank watches them"

"It isn't a cartoon. It's anime, Kenshin. Alex introduced me to it after dinner."

"So you've been watching car- sorry, anime, for the past eight or nine hours?"

"Yes Logan, I have." She waited for him to check a shadow.

"OK... so how is this not a cartoon?"

Laura's head snapped up at the sound of a bat's wings. "Cartoons are like what Tabitha or Timmy watch. Taz, the roadrunner." She breathed out. This would require a clarification of terms. "Cartoons are animated media based on absurdist humor based mostly on slapstick or clumsy attempts at educational messgaes."

"And this, what did you call it, Kenshin? 'Sword heart'? How is it different?"

"It is historical fiction, with a mixture of action, romance, humor, and morality play. It loses some with the dubbing to english, but not horrible." She looked over at her prototype's inquiring grunt. "The main character, he is a samurai who is commited to peace and protecting his friends."

"Ok."

"He was an assassin, but he found he couldn't kill any more. He's seeking atonement; I think he'd fit in here at the Institute."

He studied her face for a moment in the muted moonlight. He felt a chilly sensation running up his spine. "Yeah, maybe he would." They were walking along the cliff.

Several minutes later Logan spoke. "Anime... lot of people have big fighting robots, or super powers, right?"

"I've heard Alex and the others mention big robots, but I'm not sure. Certainly people have super human training and powers in Kenshin. That s part of why I like it- we'd fit in there, to."

He grunted. "Just so long as we aren't living a cartoon."

"No, not a cartoon. Maybe in Ray's comic books." She gave him a teasing grin. He responded with another of his long, studing looks. "What?"

He laughed. He'd spent a very long road trip with Ray, Bobby and Sam once- they had all brought reading material. He'd read some of the comic books. "I'm pretty sure you could take Batman."

She'd read some of them to. "Why would I?"

**-Author's Notes:  
**I know, it is short again.

And Alex made a good choice for first anime. **  
**


	25. Chapter 25

**They Never Trained Me For This  
Chapter 25**

When you retire from a certain world, there are things you leave behind. You take the training, the friends. But the ops... yeah, most of the time those stay back there.

_-nt_

"Laura?" They were leaning against her tree, watching the stars above the Sound, his arms around her waist. "What is the worst thing you've ever done?"

She went stiff in his arms. The question chilled her. She hadn't even told the Professor or Logan about that. "Why do you ask? Does it matter?"

"Because... I love you, Laura, scary history and all. When you have a flashblack, I hate just standing there, watching you go someplace else where I can't help you." His finger gently traced a lazy pattern along her abs. There had been one a few days ago, just for a few seconds. She had stopped in midsentance, her eyes unfocused. Then she blinked and she picked it up again. He'd learned to tell when the past was haunting her. He had seeb it in Logan, to, once or twice. Scariest was when they had both gone someplace else at the same time.

Laura was scared by this question. He was too innocent, too trusting. Like his love could undo the evil she'd done. If she told him, he'd hate her. He'd be afraid of her. He wouldn't love her any more. And he'd have to tell the Professor. She'd have to leave. And Logan wouldn't want her any more, and she'd be alone again. She didn't want to be alone again.

_-nt_

X-23 didn't have to know the why. She didn't need to know all the science. She knew she could survive this. She knew that the charges she'd planted would prevent the safeties from dropping into place when she cut the coolant lines to the reactor, it would then melt down. It wouldn't go critical, but the containment dome on this model wasn't solid, the lid was just placed there.

She'd already planned the next few steps. They didn't know she was here, it would work as planned.

She came off the beam between two of the three guards as they made their patrol. Her claws went through the throats of them both. The third went down with a snap kick, the foot claw splitting the heart in two. X-23 grabbed the one of the Kalashnikov they carried, slinging it as she ran for the one place where the pipes came together.

There was a shout- she didn't know the language, but one of the techs must have seen her. She snapped off two shorts without bothering to get a good look. The shout ended in a gurgling scream and other shouts. She twisted in mid step to toss a scatter mine through the door- she wasn't sure what that room was, but there were a lot of wires and switches and it looked important. Ten seconds later the flat submunitions detonated but she'd already left the building, another guard down with the muscles from hip to ankle cut away from the bones.

X-23 hit the nexus, some of the pipes seering hot in her thermal goggles, others cold from the nearby river. They might have been two inch thick stainless steel, but they were severed easily enough under adamantium claws . She pulled the remote from her belt, setting off the charges that would disable the control rods.

She doubled back towards where the turbines where, pausing long enough to finish emptying the rifle into them. She could hear the scream as the imbalanced blades started to tear themselves apart. The two coffee can sized EFPs she slapped onto the walls would finish them off. No cooling, no turbines, no control rods- in seconds, the inside of the reactor would be in a runaway state and short of a quantum-level telekinetic who could stop the reaction or a probability manipulator who could turn it into mashed potatoes nothing was going to stop the melt down.

She was running again in a few seconds. She'd seen enough vehicles outside that one of them would be able to get her out of the immediate danger area before the reactor melted down. There would only be a few minutes. Already, alarms were sounding. She didn't slow as she pulled the respirator from her bag, hand over the filter, blowing out then sucking in breath to get a good seal. She might be able to regenerate, but a little bit of uranium in her lungs was more hassle than the protection.

Claws out, she opened the door of the security jeep before smashing open the steering column. In seconds she was heading upwind, crashing through the gate. She felt a tingling sensation, and there was metallic taste in her mouth, then there was the thud. The anticipated hydrogen-oxygen explosion had just taken the pressure lid off the top of the reactor vessel. Several seconds later, there was a second thud, the heavy metal and concrete slab slapping down on the reactor vessel.

_-nt_

Laura swallowed heavily. She knew now what she'd done. The old style power plant was badly designed. It hasn't been that big of an explosion, it hadn't even been nuclear, but it scattered heavy radioactives with long half lives over an area that had once been fertile and green

Hundreds had died in the years since. Tens of thousands would die from the poisons she'd released. It would be centuries before anyone would knowingly want to eat anything from that region. The watershed carried the fall out down to an inland sea, wiping out much of the fish population

She figured that the people who'd gone to Hydra hadn't been able to win a war, or just wanted to not be blamed. She made their enemies kneel.

She hadn't known, not then. She knew now. She'd done research, hiding at as an assignment for school. She couldn't tell anyone what she'd done. If they could still love her, tolerate her, somehow, they would share her guilt. She had to lie. She had to protect them.

She burped softly. "Eating Kitty's cooking is my greatest regret."

Alex blinked. He knew she was hiding it- she wasn't ready. It was ok. Laura might tell him at a later date. Or maybe not. It didn't matter, not really. He'd be there to hold her when the nightmares came even in the day. He pulled his arms tighter around her, and rested his chin on her shoulder. He whispered softly, "Ok."

She leaned her head against his shoulder, lacing her fingers together behind his head to tilt his face down. "Or maybe letting you kiss me." She smiled innocently, giving a flutter of the eyelids she'd learned from watching Kitty and Jubilee.

"HEY!"Yeah, whatever it was was bad. But if she was going to try to cover it up, he'd let her.

_-_**Author's notes:**

I know of no Chernobyl-type event more recent than that actual event, at least in our world. But this is _not_ Chernobyl.

A safely designed, properly maintained, professionally run nuclear reactor is very safe. Just as the US and UK Navies. But sabotage beats all of that; so does stupidity and carelessness, and that usually can get through security. I'm not anit-nuke, I'm not pro-nuke, I'm pro-"if you build it, don't screw around and don't cut corners" with most technology. But doing this.. yeah, I'd walk in front of a bus if I'd done this.

And I'm about to start a side step from **Never Trained**, much as I did with **Spring Break**. In the next week or so, I shall be postingthat. As a teaser:

_Sunday morning paper. Big breakfast full of meat and cholesterol and fat. Bottomless cup of black coffee. Early enough that people aren't in a diner. Logan was enjoying a little peace and quiet._

_Then he walked in._

**More to come in Weapon neXt.  
**


	26. Chapter 26

**They Never Trained Me For This  
Chapter 26**

OK, so some of you are probably thinking 'uh, what? Raven? What you are doing, finish **Weapon neXt**." Well, I am. This is part of it, actually, but not directly part of that story. This is what is happening while Logan had half of the X-men and the leaders of X-factor kicking ass and taking names on a global scale. Don't know what I'm talking about? Ok, you don't need it, but... go read **Weapon neXt**, then come read this. Or read this, and then go read that. Some of it will make more sense.

So, in the finest of American entertainment traditions, _meanwhile, back at the mansion..._

_-nt_

"Hey, you gonna make it?" Tabitha put her arm over Amara's shoulder.

"We'll be on the ground in a few hours." She leaned her head down to use Tabitha's shoulder for a pillow. "If I pass out..."

"Yeah?"

"Make sure I get carried off by a cute EMT?" Magma smiled weakly. Once they were on solid land, it would be easier. They'd spent twelve days in Nova Roma; getting to or from there to San Paulo was a fast hydrofoil dash, but there was delays caused by the differences in calendars. The founders of Nova Roma had kept the original calender of the first Roman republic with it's 8-day weeks, while their neighbors were on the seven-day week of the modern calender.

If you were invited, the Romans welcomed you warmly. It had taken four months to get Tabitha's visa (and it had been fast tracked because she was being sponsored by Amara's family), but that visa was for life. If they trusted you, they Romans trusted you deeply. If you weren't supposed to be there, then you found out that Nova Roma's allies weren't completely joking when they said that the tiny nation's motto translated to 'go away'.

Other than that once a week hydrofoil trip, there was no good way to get to Nova Roma. They had an airport, but they had fighters escorting everything that came within ninety miles of the city proper when it was supposed to be there. There were surface to air missile batteries along the frontier for any aircraft that didn't obey air traffic control immediately. Only diplomatic flights landed at the Nova Roman airfield. Similar defenses studded the coast which was defended by the Legio Mare and the Classis- the Nova Roman marines and naval forces. Or you could walk, and if the jungle didn't devour you, whichever Legio's area you were in would land on you like the foot of an angry god.

"If you're thinking about sexy medics, you can't feel that bad, girl." Despite the joking, Tabitha was worried as she let Amara rest her head on her shoulder. She'd seen Amara going through dirt withdrawal, and this was a lot faster than that cruise or even the flight down. It had been a while since she'd been called for a mission, so she didn't know if it was hitting the same way on the Blackbird. She was too worried about her best friend be to blame anyone for why she wasn't going on missions.

"Amara, you say this is normal?" They were flying back to the States with another American visitor, a young doctor who had been there observing Nova Roman surgical techniques and the traditional herbal treatments that combined ancient Roman methods with those of the tribes that had been incorporated into the new nation by the stranded Legionnaires.

Nodding gently, Amara closed her eyes. Easier to nod that way. "It has to do with my powers."

"Shhhhh... try to sleep, 'Mara. It will be easier that way."

They'd met Dr. Blake when he and other tourists became trapped in their hotel by rioting Selene cultists. Amara's family had been at the temple of Athena, which was nearby, when the mob started throwing stones and the occasional firebomb. Under Nova Roman law, their training made the Senator and the two X-men members of the auxilia in times of crisis. At least it did for Amara; Tabitha was a guest, not a Roman citizen, but she wasn't going to let Amara get in front of a rioting mob without someone to watch her back. The three of them and others had held the temple steps and pushed back. They'd eventually found themselves with a centuria of the the cohortes urbanae_. _The Roman riot squads had enjoyed their presence and some individuals that Amara had described simply as 'Olympians'- looked like mutants to Boom-boom.

Doctor Blake hadn't hidden in a shelter- he'd shouted down a vigiles centurion in latin and started triage for those who'd been wounded. He'd been angered by the fact that while the Romans handled triage much like westerners, if you were a bad guy you were pretty much at the back of the line for treatment even if you could be saved with speedy medical attention. He considered that a violation of the Hippocratic Oath.

It had been a long six hours after the riot had been officially broken while the doctors had worked, with the vigiles and two X-men had assisted.

_-nt_

"Does anyone know what is wrong with the Professor?" Jubilee whispered, not wanting to disturb the new recruits as they worked on their two hundred and fifty word essays about two of their personal heroes. It had been her turn for the New Mutant's lesson plan. It was the best she could do- the others had already taken the noncheesy essays, and she didn't like math enough to do that to the kids. She didn't understand why Storm had liked the idea so much. Rahne had checked last night- she had been able to do it in an hour; Roberto had taken longer, but had been trying to go for five hundred words when she finally told him to stop.

Ray shrugged and Sam shook his head. Rahne glanced at the students, before leaning into the conversation. "Mr McCoy showed him something the paper, he's been moody ever since."

"So what was in the paper?"

"I don't know, Bobby."

Iceman frown. It wasn't like the world was full of good news. A new atrocity in Africa, plane crash in China, a gas main explosion in Canada, a serial killer in LA, mass UFO sighting in Melbourne, drug wars on three continents- it was hard to tell what it was that could have made Xavier so introspective. It might not even been any one thing. Or all of it.

They didn't' talk about _it_, where half the X-men and the leaders of X-Factor had gone. At least not where lots of people could hear. Since the start of the summer, the gazebo in the evening had become the New Mutant's 'place'. The last two nights they had speculated. They'd all been on 'special missions' with Logan or Scott and Jean, and they were trying to figure out what Wolverine was doing. He'd taken two of their best pilots, and Rogue could drive just about anything. Two trackers. Four infiltrators. Their best computer tech, two of their best mechanics. No telepaths, no telekinetics. Half of the team skydived; many of them were good divers to. Most of the team spoke French or German. "What was in Europe?"

Ray started counting on his fingers. "Government corruption stories for three countries. New mass grave in the Balkans. Riots in France."

Rahne shook her head. "Iceland. The BBC said swords? Who uses swords?"

They knew who used swords, or at least long, sharp, incredibly sharp blades. Most of them had been there the first night Laura had visited- with her father and the others, yeah, dozen or so guys wouldn't be that much trouble.

"One way to be sure what it was that the Professor saw." Sam grinned. "Where is the Times? We can see if we can bribe RJ into touching it."

"Dude, I'm broke."

"So what do we do?"

"Nothing, not until Tabby and Amara get back." There were nods. Roberto had taken a car to the airport to meet them. Even if the New Mutants hadn't always agreed, if they were going to do something stupid, they'd do it together.

"HUMPH!" Sam cleared his throat loudly. A blond head shot up. "No sleeping, more writing."

"But Sa-a-am, I'm done." If you asked Paige Guthrie what sucked about being a student at the Xavier Institute, she'd tell you having her older brother as an instructor. It wasn't fair, their parents had put him in charge of her, like Scott was with Alex. Even if he was going to be sleeping at the Brotherhood House as soon as they were done fixing it up, she couldn't goof off. Worse, his friends helped him make her miserable.

"Not in thirty minutes, you aren't." Ray grinned. Sam had asked him and Bobby to help him- he didn't want it to seem like he was picking on his little sister. I could say one thing to her, but if more was needed, they'd half to say it, and he'd rather have to say nothing at all. "Do any of you think you've done two hundred words yet?"

_-nt_

Roberto swore quietly to himself and shoved his magazine quickly into his back pocket. Amara was perched on top of a luggage dolly along with her and Tabitha's baggage, being dragged along by Boomboom. There should have been a skycap waiting for a tip, but Tabitha was a lousy tipper and very bluntly so.

"What happened?"

"What do you think?"

"Hi Roberto." Amara started to get up. She still looked a little worn and she wobbled a little, but she was able to walk on her own. "Tabitha is being over protective."

"Sit! Unless Rob wants to push this thing, in which case I'll carry you."

Sunspot grinned. Roy had a pool going as to when these two would be admit they were a couple. Of course, if anyone mentioned it near Tabitha, she'd probably get pissed.

"Tabitha, if she feels she can walk, that would be best." The speaker was a blond man with a tightly trimmed, square beard and heavily rimmed glasses.

Amara grinned. "We found a fan who is a doctor."

_A doctor..._ "Tabitha. You didn't do what you think you did?"

"I told him I'd talk to the Professor. Thats all. "

_-nt_

"Scott? Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah Forge, what's up?" Scott didn't look up from the papers he was grading. So many of the students had deficient math and english education by the classical standards that the Professor and Hank encouraged, that was a big part of the summer program. He couldn't say much- he still took a calculator to the grocery store.

"Can we get more training sessions?" Forge was at the Institute for the summer. He had an internship in the City this year, he was working for one the M-Prize groups. Forge wasn't gone to the moon, but he would have his fingerprints on some of the components before he got his degrees. Assuming he graduated at all- engineering professors usually want to know how it works. Saying the spirit of the machine guided your hand wasn't good enough.. "Some of us were talking, and a lot of us want two long ones a day."

Scott looked up from his paperwork. Their gadgeteer was only a part time X-man, and trained that way; training sessions took a lot out of him physically, he didn't have the stamina or training of most of the others. "We might be able to do something, but for you to? What about your job?"

"The worst they can do is fire me." Forge was silent for a minute, while Scott watched him closely. "Kurt and the rest of you saved me from my own mistake. You and the Professor stayed up with me all night as I freaked out after finding my parent's home replaced with a parking lot. Then the two of you flew me out to California when you tracked them down, and helped me convince them I was me." That had been a bad night- Scott still felt guilty about leaving Forge to his own devices. He just hadn't thought about what 20 years really means.

"You've always allowed me to come here when I was on vacation, even though I'm not really an X-man. All I had to ask and there was a plane ticket waiting for me. When my mother got sick, the Professor helped us cover the bills. Maheo doesn't need to hit me over the head- I'm supposed to be an X-man. Maybe I'll have a nasty letter from Richards following my whole life that says I bailed on a contract, left him hanging for a couple days while he found another guy who can use a soldering iron. I can't live with leaving another X-man swinging in the breeze."

"Okay... Nice speech. What brought that on."

Forge tilted his head a little one side, giving Scott a look. If Cyclops didn't know it had to do with the empty space in the hanger, then he had been hit on his head too many times.

_-nt_

Jamie waved. "Hi, Professor."

They were hanging out at the gazebo, talking about the new students. Even though some of them weren't really instructors yet, all the New Mutants had been pressed into teaching the remedial and fundamentals classes- they now knew what the whispers in the teachers lounge was all about. At Multiple's words, the all quieted.

"Good evening, everyone." Charles set the breaks on his chair. "So, what are we scheming tonight?"

Jubilee grinned. "World conquest- all we need is a rubber duck and a gallon of toenail clippings." Someone let out a snort, it almost sounded like 'narf'.

Charles blinked a few times. "I'm not sure I want to know what you would do with those." He shook his head. "Magnus tells me you'll have Brotherhood House ready by this weekend?"

"Yes sir, we've already got the security system online, and our network- have to wait to get it connected to the one here." Bobby grinned. Those New Mutants and X-men who chose to do so could live at the Brotherhood House, so long as they returned when the new buildings were built and that they fix it up themselves. He, Sam and Ray were taking what used to be Mystique's bedroom- it was big enough for three and then some. Magnus wanted Wanda's room; Tabby had called dibs on Lance's room as soon as the project was announced. So far, none of the X-men were interested, and Jamie, Jubes, Theresa and Danielle were all stuck at the Institute. The other requirement was that you had to have graduated high school. "Thanks Professor."

"Don't thank me yet, Bobby. All of you will have to work to maintain it- the rules here apply there." The plan was to turn it into a outreach facility once the dorms were built. He was really hoping that he could lure the younger Morlocks to it. "Magnus has the authorization to issue demerits."

Roberto grinned. He had Toad's old room; he and Rahne had flipped for it, and she got Fred's. It had taken three layers of epoxy paint with baking soda mixed in to seal the smell away.

Roberto wasn't sure how Jamie was going to do living with Jimmy Proudstar. Multiple had always been Sunspot's roommate, and they were tight despite being so different. Multiple and Warpath both had chips on their shoulder. Jamie's was from having been sidelined during the mission in Kansas. Yes, Sheriff Szilard was a friend of the Institute as a whole, and he needed protecting, but Jamie had confessed he'd wanted in on the final capture of Twister. Anger and a thirst for vengeance still simmered in the youngest of the New Mutants. Roberto and Rahne had made a choice not to tell the others, even though they should have. They were pretty sure Johnny would say something if the two younger ones started feeding on each other's anger.

"Excellent. The initiative you've all shown this summer, both with the Brotherhood House and with the younger students, has proven to me that all of you are ready to be instructors. Most of you have placed yourself in danger protect others, and all of you have been trained for it. But I am not sure you are ready to set off on your own without leadership, jumping into a situation without looking. Or without permission to take an aircraft." Xavier smiled slightly. "I told you not to speculate, and you've not been successful at that. Right now, you are to consider yourselves on 30 minute recall: if you are needed, we might not have a lot of time. Or anything to tell you that you don't already know."

There were groans as the compliment and punishment filtered through to their brains. They were being told they were ready to go out and play with the big boys, but they had to be leashed. A few realized that would mean that if they had to go someplace, it would be in a hurry, and the Professor just admitted he didn't know much more than them. But the 30 minute recall meant that they couldn't go very far so that they could have _Blackbird-2_ wheels up and headed anywhere in no more than half an hour- they were effectively grounded.

"Tabitha, may I speak to you for a moment?"

_-nt_

Ororo tied her hair back. She had woken up about ten minutes ago, feeling that something was misplaced. She first made sure the doors to her balcony were closed and locked. She listened- nothing but snoring. It was only then she looked at her clock- almost half past three.

She was missing the soft click of the door to the wing closing, what some called 'Logan's paranoid round'. She could always tell at breakfast if Laura had joined him: she'd be quiet, introspective, and more likely to harass Alex. She knew that it meant she'd slept through the round and felt guilty about it.

She pulled on jeans and a dark sweatshirt, then laced her sneakers up. She checked her flashlight, blinking it with her hand over the bulb, looking for the glow. Something just felt odd, she was going to take a look. Just a quick look and back to bed- this was the most iconic Logan thing in the world she could think of. Even if you took away the claws and the healing, he'd still be worried about the X-men.

Standing in her open door, Ororo looked around, then pulled it closed behind her. She had just put her hand on the door to the hallway, when she heard a sound, jumping, and turning, the light coming on. It would have dazzled all but one person. "Oh! You startled me."

Danielle had reached for sneakers and jeans, her normally tidy braids part undone by sleep. Betsy hadn't bothered to put on her dark glasses, or to change out of the sweats she slept in. She was barefoot, but her feet were already hard after years of kicking rope wrapped and canvas skinned targets. "We're sorry Ms Monroe, we didn't know you were awake still."

As Ororo's eyes adjusted again to the dark, she could see the faint ghost light of Betsy's psionic signature, and Dani's blush at having been caught. "You couldn't sleep either?"

Their heads shook. Mirage had woken up first, which had roused Psylocke from an uneasy dream. They didn't have to say what had them worried- Laura had charged Betsy with protecting the teddy bear Alex had given her, and to take care of Alex if she didn't come back. The Sino-English girl had tried to learn where the others had gone, but bumped into a brick wall when she asked the Professor.

"Let me guess, you two were going to take a walk to get some air, then go back to bed? OK, I had the same thing in mind."

There was nothing out there that seemed hostile. The security system was online, it could see them, but it had been told expect people moving inside the wall. As they came back in, their feet wet from the dew, they heard a noise at the top of the main stairs. A light pinned them as Ororo's shined on the movement at the top.

Scott and Jean were about to take a round of their own.

_-nt_

Jean stepped out of the front entrance as the battered old sedan crawled up the drive. She could feel curiosity, nervousness and cautious eagerness from the red Ford.

The Institute felt empty behind her with only the Professor, Hank and a couple of students around at the moment. Storm and Scott had most of the X-force students on a field trip into the city for the planetarium, while the New Mutants were working on their temporary quarters. She sighed, thinking about last night- the senior staff meeting had had some very strongly voiced opinions about the suitability of having a non-mutant physician. The Professor had pointed out that one of the things holding back their attempt to become a full and true school rather than just a boarding house was a lack of medical support. Most schools didn't have to show they had an MD on staff, but of course the Xavier Institute was being held to a higher standard. And as Storm had raised, if they trusted their health to a normal person, and allowed them into the Institute freely, then it showed they weren't some kind of radical and closed training camp.

She shook her head, clearing her mind as the car stopped. "Hello, you must be Dr Blake. I'm Jean Grey; Professor Xavier was delayed by a phone call."

He took her hand, shaking it firmly. He didn't go into the games some men played where they tried to squeeze her hand into a paste. She felt a bit of thrill from him-nothing that would give Scott grounds to not like the man, but more like someone having a chance to do something they'd thought was impossible. He was also more nervous, but it was the kind of nerves she felt with students in their first few days. "Yes, I am." His eyes were looking around. "I was expecting something... less ordinary."

She smiled as he blushed. This was the heroic doctor that won shouting matches with the security at JFK and in one of the most reclusive nations on Earth? Who had impressed both Magma and BoomBoom? He seemed more like an oversized twelve year old. "This way, please. Is there anything I can get you, water, coffee?"

"No, thank you." He followed her into what looked at first glance like the entry sitting room for a palatial home without children. It was only the seventh or eight glance that showed signs of young habitation- sports and fashion magazines among the news weeklies, a small scuff like someone had put their shoe up on the sofa arm. Part way up the stairs, there was a small snag in the carpet, he could see where others had been patched recently. There was a surprisingly well equipped library for its size, complete with a bookcase full of paperbacks ranging from mysteries to science fiction to romance, and those in other languages.

Signs of those some might call 'kids'- smart, studious and special people.

She opened one of the door without knocking. "Professor Xavier? Is everything ok?"

"Yes, quiet good surprisingly. Mr O'Reilly is very optimistic about the coming election and.. other things."He rolled out from around his desk. "And you are Tabitha's friend she has said so much about?"

"I guess so, Sir."

_-nt_

Everyone was quiet and a little suspicious that evening at dinner- no one had told them that there was going to be a guest. What with everything else that had been happening, they weren't in an entirely trusting mood. Once they had been seated, the Professor called for their attention. "Thank you, everyone. I have an announcement to make.

"First, I would like to thank Tabitha and Amara, and welcome back. Not only do you have stories to tell, but you found us something quite wonderful. This is Doctor Blake. He had to go almost to the ends of the Earth to find the X-men, even if he does live in Rockville. He has agreed to be our physician."

The students looked at each other. They had a doctor now? They'd been trying to get one of those for months. If this had gone right, maybe the others would return home fine and they'd be able to get the new land and build the new dorms.

The Doctor pushed his chair back, clearing his throat nervously. He rested his hand on the head of his cane, hooked over the table. "Uhmm... Hello. I'm not one for speeches, so let me say only this. Thank you- I've been your fan for several years, and I'm not sure I'm really good enough to be here. I'm actually a little surprised by how fast this has gone." There were smiles at that- time flew when the Professor was recruiting. "It isn't official yet, but within a week, I'll be your Doctor. Which means, get ready for physicals. And I'm not that formal. You can call me Doc, or Donald- Dr Blake me sounds old. And on that note, do we pass our plates, or does the food move around? It smells wonderful."

**-Author's Notes:**

So... Yeah, most will probably need some translation from the Latin. I think the only things I didn't translate in terms of units from the latin was the cohortes urbanae (heavy duty riot cops, we don't have much like them in the States or Commonwealth Nations- think Russian riot squads, with western SWAT-type missions tossed in), vigilis (normal cops, who are also firefighters, which are largely unchanged other than EMS training and they no longer consider the ballista to be part of fire fighting equipment). Legio is latin for Legion, Legio Mare would be the "Legion of the Seas". My latin isn't good enough to figure out how to say "air force". Auxilaria were non-standard troops- the Nova Romans consider anyone with combat or police training to be part of auxiliaria, even if they weren't in a legio.

Oh, and for people who's jaws hit the table, he hasn't found it yet. SHHHHHHH, don't tell him how screwed he's eventually going to be.

The reason why Doc living in Rockville is noteworthy is it is like 30 miles from the real Oyster Bay/Bayville. If they'd been willing to look past the mutant gene, they might have found their doc earlier with a help wanted ad. (_Needed immediately: NY liscenced MD, for private high school medical staff. Room, board, expense account included. Multilingual, security clearance a plus._) And if they can get the new dorms built... yes, there will be a room for Doc.

The printed Forge, and this goes back before my time, was trained as a shaman, but the draft interrupted and he was sent to Vietnam. Obviously, this version was never in the military much less the Southeast Asian conflict, but it is still Forge. He is still Native American, and I'm strongly suggesting that this version of him, like the printed 'verse's, is Cheyenne. (Maheo is the Cheyenne spirit of the sun and moon, and the showwer of ways.) Any complicated enough system would have a spirit. Normally that means something living, but maybe mankind is on the cusp of a new kind of life.

And for those of you haven't read it yet, you really must read _I Hear The Rotors Still_ by Blinky-the-Tree-Frog. That will tell you about the Professor's phone call.


End file.
